Silicone, servo motor, Arduino, LCD, ice packs, LED strip, styrofoam.

December, 2019. Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University.

Collaboration with Noah Kernis.

The transplant process requires a donor, a recipient, and a third party to transport the organ. The person transporting the organ gains another organ for the duration of the trip. When a person places their hand on the sides of the piece, they touch a pulse sensor. In response, the heart starts to “beat” at the person’s BPM. A screen also displays the pulse over time. By holding the box, the person becomes the organ transport. The pulse reflects the persons, revealing it is now part of them.

Elastic Heart looks at the relationship between humans, their organs, and what it means to transplant an organ. We hope that, by viewing their own heartbeat while holding the heart’s box, a sense of humanity is added to the transplant process.