Candlelarium

In response to an age of swipes and scrolls, where big tech proprietary platforms and a focus on productivity and surface-level parasocial relationships on social media prevail, this project invites the audience to pause and connect deeply by channelling the vernacular web aesthetics of a less commodified internet experience. The installation, composed of candles on a wooden table, replicates what the audience will find on a website accessed by tapping a smartphone into the installation shrine built with an encased NFC tag. Inspired by the concept of slow surfing, Candlelarium transforms the internet into a space for ritual and reflection. In it, people can interact with a digital oracle who will advise them in one life domain based on candles blown out through one's device's microphone. Designed to bring moments of magic into daily life, interacting with the project connects the present user to those who came before via a custom algorithm that processes previous interactions' data, weaving a shared tapestry of wisdom.