I LOVE YOU

Artists: Selena Griffith (Australia) / Edison Chen (Australia) / Nila Rezaei (Australia) / Nathan Adler (Australia)

Collaborators: CB Stainless (Chris Buhler) / Sam Cassisi (Australia) / Hannah Cheers (Australia) 

I LOVE YOU is a giant illuminated heart-shaped ‘Love-O-Meter’ that delivers a playful, participatory and often hilarious take on expressions of love.

The artists describe the concept behind the installation as “a sideshow-alley competition that meets Las Vegas wedding-chapel aesthetics.” It encourages couples to publicly declare their love by standing opposite each other on a highly visible podium and shouting ‘I LOVE YOU’ in unison, in order to fill a giant heart with as much light (love) as possible.

The reward for the couples is visual, with the serious nature of their declaration subverted by the enjoyment derived from their very public display of affection amplified in light. The louder or more intense their declarations of love, the brighter and more colourful are the patterns produced on the heart.

This project is deliberately corny and kitsch, encouraging shameless performance, silliness and romance. Human competitiveness inevitably kicks in and couples try to outperform others with their screaming declarations.

The artists’ aim is to create a playful, fun, exciting and interactive way of communicating a very intimate feeling. When the couples participating shout out their love before a large audience, the experience may (somehow) bring them closer as the see the intensity of their love literally lighting up the skies.

Country represented by installation: Australia