Doodles is an installation that uses ‘ready-made’ plastic phone charms in a dome environment enabling visitors to see the invisible Radio Frequency Energy that is generated by cellular phones. Visitors are invited to stand inside and make telephone calls to their friends.

The geodesic structure of the dome references the structural network that telecommunication antennas create on the surface of the planet. The dome is filled with charms which make visible the radio waves that transport our voice over the network through flashing lights.

Electromagnetic radiation is a form of understated and approved pollution that infiltrates peoples bodies and most materials that surround us. At low levels it is considered safe and at high levels is cooking dvd-ready pop-corn in our kitchen. Because it is invisible and pervasive it complies with human communication needs. With Doodles we make noticeable the duration and livelihood of the emitted radiation of mobile phones. Inside the dome visitors perform phone calls to their families and friends, resulting in the visual display of lights from the doodle charms.

Who owns radio pollution? Their cute shape, toy-like quality and ‘always on’ functionality calls into question who actually ‘owns’ the radio waves and furthermore who ‘owns’ the content of those waves. Soon using the same radio technology, Passports and Identity Cards may have embedded microchips that will be able to transmit personal data in real-time, wirelessly and without the owners knowledge, since radio is silent and invisible.

Doodles are very common mobile phone gadgets in Europe, they were mostly invented to make people aware of the dangers of spending too much time on the mobile phone, but young generations adopted them as charms and exchange them as small gifts. We love the doodle post-pop and post-future-pre-apocalyptic-optimistic iconography of cute Japanese style characters that look at us during phone calls with their large glistening eyes (they smile at you while you are probably getting radio waved by your latest ultra-slick razor phone). While the Doodle is supposed to remind about the radiation emitted by the mobile and prevent users from long conversations, Doodles being cute and sparkling with colorful LEDs make people spend more time on the phone, showing off their cuteness and for their hypnotizing activity.

The installation is accompanied by a book about phone doodles and about how to measure mobile phone SAR ( the electromagnetic emission, Specific Absorption Rate, determined as watts per kilogram) test standard values in Europe and USA.