The Hearts Machine

Shahar Koshet

As we become surrounded by machines that gradually replace us, we find solace in the few things that still belong to us: our emotions, primarily love. But even the value of emotions is eroding. Thus, the “Hearts Machine” reflects on how today’s reality has cheapened our expressions of love. The machine automatically generates and produces "love notes," which are then picked up by passersby or discarded as garbage. This shallow expression of love is offered as a quick fix for the human longing for warmth and affection. It is love for the masses, a stand-in for genuine love from a flesh-and-blood human. Like Sisyphus, the machine that produces the notes is trapped in an infinite loop. The hearts it makes express an emotion that it itself can never experience. The display is an attempt, perhaps a desperate one, to assert humanity’s superiority over the machines and even punish them for their ability to mimic us.

We lovingly invite you to take a note.