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Background
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Research Question
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User Journey
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Interaction
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Experiment
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Testing
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Installation
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Birth Gamble
Designing Perceptions of Fairness in Randomized Systems
Medium:
Interactive Installation
Technology:
TouchDesigner / Arduino / Magnetic Sensor / Digital Projection
Duration:
1 minute per interaction
Year: 2025
View Project
A. Conceptual Research
The project began with my curiosity about gambling machines. Slot machines create a powerful emotional experience through randomness: anticipation, uncertainty, and the desire for a different outcome.
B. Social Context
While exploring the relationship between chance and human decision-making, I encountered discussions about Japan's declining birth rate and changing attitudes toward childbirth. This led me to question:
What if being born was also a gamble?
If we could restart our lives and have a completely different starting point, would our outcome be better or worse?
Class Centrifuge
by Raphael Arar
Zero Noon by
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
Life's A Gamble Art Installation
by Robin Greene
Main Question :
How do people emotionally respond when identity-related outcomes are assigned randomly?
01
Control
Do people feel a sense of agency when interacting with a system they cannot control?
02
Fairness
How do people define fairness when outcomes are generated by chance?
03
Identity
How does a randomly assigned identity influence emotional responses?
“
I knew it was random, but I was still disappointed by this result.———Participant
Birth determines many aspects of human life before individuals have any choice: nationality, family background, social resources, and opportunities. I translated this uncontrollable allocation process into a slot machine system, transforming birth into a visible and interactive random generator.
Birth
A Body as the Interface
The baby mannequin represents a newborn before identity is assigned. Its neutral appearance removes existing social labels and creates a universal starting point. By embedding a digital screen inside the chest, the installation merges the human body with a computational system, suggesting that invisible structures influence identity from the moment of birth.
The scissors function as both a symbolic object and an input device. Cutting the cord triggers the system via a magnetic sensor, linking physical interaction to digital randomness.
Version 1 Slot Machine Concept
Version 2 Birth as the Interface
Final
Interactive Technology
A magnetic sensor embedded in the scissors detects the cutting action and sends a signal to TouchDesigner, which generates randomized identity outcomes through a digital slot machine animation.
Nationality:
Class:
Occupation:
01 Approach
Participant encounters a newborn without identity.
02 Interaction
Participant holds scissors.
03 Trigger
Cutting the cord activates the system.
04 Randomization
The slot machine generates an identity.
05 Reveal
The outcome appears on the body.
06 Reflection
Participant reflects on chance and privilege.
Although participants understood that the outcome was random, many still experienced emotional reactions toward the result.
"I knew it was random, but I still hoped for a better result."
"I felt responsible even though I didn't control the outcome."