smile To Play

"Smile to Play" is a video game-like essay that invites players to engage through facial expressions. Guided by an appearance-changing virtual assistant named Xat, it delves into two main topics. First, it explores the complex dynamics of human/non-human encounters in relation to the recognition of emotion, highlighting the expanding industry known as "affective computing” and its apparent effectiveness. Secondly, it examines the concept of happiness and the central role that its instrumentalization plays within neoliberal societies. The performativity of happiness, as a relational organising power, is called into question. The artwork aims to develop an understanding of how consumers are utilised for political and economic interests and present an alternative to counter the narratives that are imposed on them.