Hearth-beat

Translating detailed, meaningful live data into clear, calm visual language What if our homes could communicate with us in calmer, more human(e) ways? The Hearth connects to a home's electricity meter and provides real-time output on how much energy is being used. Instead of revealing detailed technical insights, it gently flickers and glows in corresponding colours and intensities. Once paired with the electricity meter, it directly reacts to live consumption - going from a gentle background flicker all the way up to a bright, glowing and intense "flame". The intention is not to alert or alarm, but instead to strengthen the connection between us and our spaces, increasing both appreciation and awareness of consumption. Whilst the kitchen is the metaphorical heart of the home, it's the electricity box that is a more literal heart. Piped into the spaces we inhabit are cables, tubes and pipes that feed into this box which connects us to the world outside. Electricity, gas, water, Internet - the basic amenities that make up a large part of civilized living in the 21st century. Our homes clearly do so much more than just give us shelter. Technologically we have come a long way in achieving visibility into our usage and habits. This type of data can be incredibly powerful, but also overwhelming. Screen-based dashboards often contain valuable data, but are not always easy to decipher or pretty to look at. This connected object was built to illustrate a different way of thinking about consumption, data and connected spaces.