clumzy

Silicone, electronics

2018

Dimensions variable

Clumzy is a product developed as part of the Lean Artist Chicago project founded and created by artist Jeremy Bailey, which is the first startup accelerator designed exclusively for artists. Using the startup accelerator process, four Chicago based artists conceived and actualized companies over an 8 month period that act as subversive and critical artworks that culminated in a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art called I Was Raised on the Internet.

My contribution, clumzy, is a playful electronic device that lets you send messages through a decentralized mesh network, alleviating any anxiety of Big Brother social media monitoring your communications. Designed to be squeezed like a stress ball ( modeled after the negative space of my hand) it sends a color-encoded message based on the strength of the user's grip. Those receiving the message feel a soft vibration that mimics an intimate touch. By not relying on text, clumzy offers an alternative on the communication spectrum that encourages new, nonverbal conventions.

Visit clumzy.club for more info.