Art.empath.io is an intervention in art museums that takes the form of an interactive system installed in front of an artwork in exhibition in museum settings. I proposed and deviced this social experiment to facilitate communication between the artist and viewers and among viewers themselves.

To break down the user interaction cylce, at the start of interaction with the system, as the viewer browses an art piece, they encounter a printout sliding out of a virtual printer, prompting them to type in their comment about the artwork they are viewing. When the viewer submit their response, the printout slides back into the virtual printer. After pausing for a few seconds, a thermal printer nearby produces on a receipt a piece of commentary about the same artwork from a previous viewer or the artwork’s creator. As the viewer receives it, the viewer is invited to tear and take away the physical receipt, or types in more of their comments about the art, rewarded by more opinions from other viewers.

More about this project’s conceptual background and public responses