For two hours a day, visitors can use the laptops to control any smart device within the homes. They can play music, turn the lights on or off, and even interact with the inhabitants via text-to-speech technology, much like an Alexa device. During the two hours when the homes are “live,” the inhabitants will have to use the wake word “Someone” instead of their normal phrase in order make a request of their voice assistants.
SOMEONE is part of a larger exhibition called Refiguring the Future, put on by REFRESH, Eyebeam and the Hunter College Art Galleries. The exhibition only features works by tech-focused artists who are female-identifying, gender non-conforming, queer, or people of color.