Back Pocket Empathy

Back Pocket Empathy is an interactive near-future speculative piece exploring the outsourcing of human connection to machines. It invites participants to confront the trade-offs between convenience and emotional depth, exposing what we lose when the work of feeling is automated.

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Inside the installation, a futuristic-looking domestic companion device prompts participants to name a moment of unresolved emotional tension. Through a brief questionnaire, users provide superficial details, bypassing any real introspection. In return, the system generates a flawless, emotionally articulate letter.

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The letter prints from a mirrored cube, forcing participants to confront their own reflection as they retrieve their automated script. It is ready for use, neatly resolved, and small enough to fit in a back pocket.

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By delegating this internal friction, what happens to human emotional literacy? What becomes of personal growth when we choose to bypass the very experiences that shape us?

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