Poke is an interactive artwork that allows the viewer to physically engage with a natural human reflex, through the act of poking. Referencing the relationship between touching and feeling, the audience is presented with a human eye, which seems to passively gaze at them until it is touched.
As the viewers finger touches the screen, the eye suddenly reacts; the eyelid closing then opening. The work has developed from a fascination with the interactions between humans and technology, the presence of human characteristics upon a screen and how this effects the actions of the viewer.
‘Poke’ was a touchscreen artwork commissioned by NHS Hull in collaboration with Digital Media Labs. It can be found in the main reception atruim at the new Wilberforce Health Centre on Storey Street, Hull City Centre.