T,E.D., 80 Teddy Ruxpin Dolls That Recite Emotional Online Messages

In the art installation “T,E.D. (Transformations, Emotional Deconstruction),” 80 Teddy Ruxpin dolls recite emotional messages gathered live from the Internet (video). The messages are drawn from We Feel Fine, a site that aggregates emotional content from a large number of English language blogs. The installation opened back in January at the Launch Pad Gallery in Portland, Oregon. “T,E.D.” was created by Sean Hathaway with music by Carlos Severe Marcelin.

The installation is allowed to drift about freely through the emotional landscape being driven only by those who are contributing content to the piece whether unwittingly or consciously. As such the overall presentation of the piece can vary greatly based on external conditions such as seasons, world events and even time of day. The piece is essentially taking the instantaneous emotional pulse of the internet and this collective pulse, like a human pulse, varies over time.

Thanks Sean Hathaway!

photo via Launch Pad Gallery