OUR-THERMIA - Interactive Robotic Installation on Heat

OUR-THERMIA (2025)

Exhibited in ADM Graduation Showcase 2025: Boundless, New Bahru, Singapore and Hot Bodies Studio Tour & Exhibition Preview, Anak, Singapore (As part of Singapore Design Week 2025)

Won two awards in the 2025 18th IAI Design Awards under IAI Academy Award.

The Silver Award in the Digital Media Design Category and the Bronze Award in the Product Concept Design Category (among 1531 submissions from 20 countries/regions).

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OUR-THERMIA stands as a body of heat — an interactive robotic installation exploring thermoregulation in our ever-warming world. Combining mechanical, analog, and digital technologies, it highlights the relationship between human physiology and the dominant invisible force, heat. Inspired by the idea that “the human body, like all living things, is a heat machine”, the installation examines our struggle to adapt. Using a spine-like form to mimic thermoreceptors, it invites contemplation on what it means to live in a heat-governed future.

MOTIVATION

Will there be a day when the world gets too hot for us to live in? This installation is inspired by the ever-increasing urgency of global warming, with temperatures rising rapidly. Through interaction and visual kinetic performance, the work seeks to spark a deeper understanding of this familiar yet foreign heat around us and enable broader audiences to grasp this phenomenon beyond the limits of visual perception, encouraging dialogue between visual art, science and technological innovation.

CONTEXT

Growing up in Singapore, one thing every Singaporean can agree on is the relentless heat. This project began with that familiar, suffocating sensation during daily commutes, prompting me to reflect on heat as an invisible yet unforgiving force of nature. I began to wonder: did my younger self feel it the same way? What kind of climate will future generations inherit? How can I make this intimate, often overlooked relationship with heat visible to others?