YANG LI

Sex Sells

(CrossLab Team Work)

2020

Interactive Installation

Variable dimensions

Wood structure, Led, Arduino, Arcrylic, Condom, Infrared sensor, Air pump

The “SEX SELLS” installation is a one-meter-high dodecahedron constructed from a wooden framework, comprising thirty wooden supporting pillars and twelve pentagonal acrylic plates. At its center, a plinth holds a “condom,” connected to an engine. Utilizing Arduino technology, we developed a system that allows the movement of the “condom” and its interaction to be controlled by the money contributed by visitors.

The “condom” serves not only as a metaphor for sex but also symbolizes desire, power, art, and attention—fundamental yet complex elements of human society. The dodecahedron, representing a marketplace (or gallery) of human desire, creates an effect of infinite reflection, evoking the overwhelming and excessive nature of lust.

Visitors actively engage with the installation by paying for their desires. Through this exchange, they “purchase” experiences, addiction, and dopamine. Ultimately, we sell experiences—the “priority” and “tickets” to fleeting moments of happiness, excitement, and attention.