Waking Agents
In the age of smart everything, even the personal space of sleep is invaded. The installation consists of a set of six pillows in an immersive environment. Visitors are invited to lay down and nap with a “smart” pillow, attended to by its embedded intelligence. The intelligence serves as guide, companion, and caretaker while the user drifts between awareness and unconsciousness. Unbeknownst to the visitor, each pillow is driven by a human performer serving as intelligent attendant.
Waking Agents was awarded the ACT Award and commissioned for STRP Festival. By Lauren Lee McCarthy. Curated by Juliette Bibasse. Development prototyping by Jeff Gray. Fabrication and design in collaboration with Lela Barclay de Tolly.
Photos by Lauren Lee McCarthy, Juliette Bibasse, Hanneke Wetzer, Sébastien Bozon, Yifan Zhang, and Zhiyang Gao.