Emotional Emergency Kit
(EEK!)

The Emotional Emergency Kit (EEK!) allows users to materialise their feelings and exert some control over their internal state by blending the virtual world with the real world.

Users are able ​​to choose their current emotional state and then physically act on a virtual representation of their feelings. For example they can drown their sadness using a real water tap, they can inflate their happiness with a bike pump, they can hoover up their fear, they can blow away their anger, they can blow away their stress with a hairdryer or use the fire extinguisher to cover their joy in glowing mirror balls. 

The installation works on a number of different levels: to create a cathartic experience, to create a snapshot of the fluctuating mood of the user group, to provide a playful and enjoyable interaction. 

A large pink box houses the devices to visualise and act on users’ emotions. The emotional-input section is comprised of nine doorbells labelled with the emotions Happy, Sad, Brave, Calm, Fab, Afraid, Loved, Stressed and Angry. There is also a keyboard where you can type in any emotion of your choosing. 

Once you have selected your emotion it is delivered into the EEK! by a virtual hand and dropped into a virtual cardboard box. Each emotion has its own graphical identity to reflect the feeling it represents:

• Afraid has a ghostly spooky font

• Happy is made of shiny helium balloons

• Brave is fiery and burning 

• Angry is covered in sharp nails

• Sad is made of melting icecreams

• Calm is written in clouds

• Loved is a green plant that grows hearts. 

You can then act on your emotion using one or more of the real physical devices:

• Fire extinguisher

• Hoover

• Hairdryer

• Water tap

• Bicycle pump

• Plug

The EEK! Is currently installed at the Goldsmiths University library where it is largely used by the student population. As the EEK! is used, it collects anonymised information about how the students are feeling. This allows the library management to tailor its student support services to the mood of the students and, for example, provide extra help when many students are stressed or afraid.

Technology: sensors // Arduino // gaming PC // wooden enclosure // various household objects // Unity // C++ // Google Firestore

Credits: Filming/editing by Milo Hutchings

Client: Goldsmiths University library

Location: London, UK