Human Happiness Meter The observed environment causes physical chemical reactions which in turn cause emotions that stimulate subjective self expression. I want to create a system that will convert subjective self expression into an objective form that can be universally comprehended by everyone, with no language or cultural barriers.

The objective beauty of flowers has been investigated by artists and thinkers for thousands of years, their attractiveness is not culturally determined, and is consistent throughout different cultures through the ages. I think this is a uniqueness of a biological form, that its states are unambiguous, unlike colour or graphical systems would be. A flower in full bloom is a universally positive symbol of life, and the inverse for its withered state. Alexander Stengel’s wonderful films are perfect for this. The flower withering and dying would represent negative emotions, and in full bloom more positive emotions. The artistic history of the flower in still life paintings has an understated sombre quality and is a study on the inconstancy and brevity of life.

I’m not interested in making a familiar reward based input/output interaction. I’m more interested in making a comment on something I’m curious about, and in this case the level of appreciation or investment that it takes to fully understand is the responsibility of the observer. And in that respect it has a relationship with the artistic paintings it’s derived from, in that the deepness of appreciation of the work is proportionally related to the experience you get from it. And in that way it moves away from the paradigm of the Internet, although it exists through the Internet, in that it isn’t based around some sort of utility or easily comprehended end point that grabs at your attention to keep you engaged. The pace of its functioning requires more time to appreciate than would usually be expected online or outside a gallery space. Which is why I’ll also create a video of the installation working, that would convey the themes and ideas of the object.

The installation asks the question if emotional expression is a function of human life, is the flower technically alive, is it more alive than the organic form it represents, and how do our emotions effect the physical world?