thea rae - artist, performer & designer
Crispicotura
mechanical creatures
Can mechanical creatures convey emotion?
I’ve created mechanical creatures that wiggle, wobble, and sway. They are a new species that evolved in our tech-saturated and sedentary world. These creatures are my attempt to help machines experience a state of ease and playfulness, and to inspire whimsy in those around them.
These creatures have currently evolved into three different species–Juleractis, Maratuglans, and Aureiladilldium–each with its own anatomy. Their presence and emotional qualities are directly related to their form and method of actuation . They all drink the life juice of electricity, but each metabolizes it in different ways: magnetic fields, vibration, oscillating motors, the push and pull of springs. With each evolution they grow into more complex organisms capable of new varieties of wiggles. And like most creatures, they grow old and weary with time until eventually their joints weaken, leaving their still, skeletal structures behind.