DesignBoom pointed our Cupid's arrows towards Saying Things That Can't Be Said, the final project by Daniel Sher and Ben Hagin at the Holon Institute of Technology. The work includes a series of tech-enabled objects that have coupled transmitters and receivers, built to send nuanced messages between partners. The first in the series is called "I'm With You," two lantern-like sculptures that send heart beats across space. As one lover holds part A of the artwork, part B pulses in correspondence—a nod towards the adage,"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."Another pair in the series includes a pinwheel and bubble machine. As one person puffs on the paper toy, bubbles emit from the other end. The last pair in the series works similarly, including a synthetic flower encased in glass. As one partner "blows a kiss" into the tube, an internal microphone senses the air and makes the wings of a butterfly sculpture flap on the receiving side of the "smooch."Sher explained to DesignBoom that "It was important to me not to try to reenact the feelings of touch, pressure and warmth we feel when we hug of caress our loved one. Trying to imitate that will always feel fake." While Saying Things That Can't Be Said won't necessarily cure the loneliness that comes with a long-distance relationship, the object series shares a kindred, tech-enhanced spirit with classic romantic gestures like sending letters or making mixtapes. When cute text messages get old, maybe sending bubbles across seas will do the trick.
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