ARTIST STATEMENT
What if scanning a barcode led to something entirely different? The Poetry Kiosk is an interactive installation that resembles a self-checkout station, inviting people to pick up an everyday product and scan it just as they normally would. But instead of printing a price, it finds and prints a poem containing the product’s name. By transforming a familiar, utilitarian action into a poetic encounter, The Poetry Kiosk invites users to reconsider everyday objects and the technology we use to interact with them. It offers a playful reimagining of daily life, where technologies are repurposed beyond their preset functions for discovery and creativity.
This piece is part of my ongoing practice exploring new, poetic possibilities of everyday technology. I like to imagine alternative ways of using familiar systems as a form of creative resistance to the tech rules and functions defined by a small group of people. I want to invite audiences to imagine with me what a world shaped by creative technologies could look like. But most importantly, I hope people have fun interacting with my work–finding moments of joy and surprise within seemingly mundane routines.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sihan Zhang is a Beijing-born, New York-based multimedia artist and creative technologist whose work spans interactive installations, websites, and mixed-reality experiences. She creates playful, alternative modes of interaction that open up new, poetic possibilities for everyday technology. Her practice invites small acts of everyday resistance by disrupting technology’s preset, single-use functions and making room for imagination, curiosity, and experimentation. Her work has been exhibited at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, CICA Museum, NYC Resistor, Side Street Studio Arts, and more.
© Sihan Zhang