Take a Candy!

Creation of the Creature

The idea of making an altruistic artificial creature was inspired by other works that display a sense of desperation or helplessness like "Can’t Help Myself" by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, "Round Table" by Choe U-ram and "MANIC / LOVE" by Jordan Wolfson. All these works exhibit movements that are indicative of desperation, some of which are triggered by visitors' interactions. These pieces are thought-provoking and often invoke strong emotional reactions, such as empathy, guilt, or pity in their viewers. While others are simply fascinating or entertaining. Bordering on helplessness, we were interested in creating a creature that specifically displays altruistic behavior, as we were curious about the reactions and thoughts it would provoke in the visitors of the exhibition.

Altruism is an interesting and complex human quality. Prosocial behavior encompasses a broad range of actions that humans take to benefit or help others, including behaviors such as helping, sharing, donating, cooperating, and volunteering [5]. Altruistic behavior is a type of prosocial behavior, motivated at least in part by empathy and concern for the welfare of others. While altruistic behavior is also observed in other animals, it is most complex in humans. The emotions invoked in those who benefit from altruistic behavior are also noteworthy. Selfishness is often viewed as undesirable, while altruism is typically considered desirable and virtuous; however, the reality is much more nuanced [6]. There is ongoing debate about whether true altruism exists, as the argument can be made that altruistic actions are inherently selfish since they often lead to positive emotions for the giver [1, 7]. Additionally, some researchers explore how altruistic behavior exhibited by artificial creatures can enhance trust and rapport between them and the people interacting with them [3].

The final work explores altruism through an analog installation—a guillotine-like structure. The mechanism operates by simply tightening and loosening the rope that connects a spiky platform to the lid of a candy jar. Using complex technology would not significantly enhance the experience of the creature's altruism. The bunny does not need to move on its own or make noise; it accepts the pain for someone to have a sweet treat. 

References
[1] Carlson, R. W., & Zaki, J. (2017). Good deeds gone bad: Lay theories of altruism and selfishness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 75, 36–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.11.005
[2] Can’t Help Myself | by Sun Yuan & Peng Yu. (z.d.). https://www.loosetooth.com/blog/can-t-help-myself-by-sun-yuan-peng-yu  
[3] Chen, N., Zhai, Y., & Liu, X. (2022). The Effects of Robots’ Altruistic Behaviours and Reciprocity on Human-robot Trust. International Journal Of Social Robotics, 14(8), 1913–1931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-022-00899-6
[4] Grrr.nl. (n.d.). Jordan Wolfson - MANIC / LOVE / TRUTH / LOVE. https://www.stedelijk.nl/en/news/jordan-wolfson-manic-love-truth-love-2
[5] Millon, T., & Lerner, M. J. (n.d.). HANDBOOK of PSYCHOLOGY VOLUME 5 PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (Irving B. Weiner, Ed.). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/592b5bbfd482e9898c67fd98/t/5d116b1e85a6ee00014fd853/1561422623023/batson.pdf
[6] Kaufman, S. B., & Jauk, E. (2020). Healthy selfishness and pathological altruism: measuring two paradoxical forms of selfishness. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01006
[7] Rachlin, H. (2002). Altruism and selfishness. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 25(2), 239–250. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x02000055
[8] Yuna, P. (2022, October 25). Life as voyage: Choe U-ram asks “Where are we headed?” The Korea Herald. https://m.koreaherald.com/article/2983560 

Background images
Pixabay from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/nl-nl/foto/geel-roze-oranje-en-wit-houdt-van-hartensnoepjes-208006/
Towfiqu barbhuiya from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/nl-nl/foto/suiker-kleurrijk-toetje-snoepgoed-9755388/