Reflective Loop · Kelly Heaton

Kelly Heaton's Reflective Loop is a groundbreaking reactive sculpture comprising 400 reprogrammed Furbies arranged in a seven-foot interactive wall. Conceived while Heaton was studying at MIT Media Laboratory, the installation explores machine intelligence and its entanglement with contemporary culture. The artist reprogrammed and retrofitted each Furby with infrared detection systems, requiring over $20,000 in electronic parts, a mile of wire, and approximately 100,000 solder joints. Visitors see their reflections in the wall of blinking, chattering Furbies, which respond to the presence of viewers rather than through traditional interaction.