The Muttering Hat is a physical embodiment of the negative thoughts that often crowd one’s head space. Displayed it the form of a hat, a pair of angry, muttering balls (representation of the negative thoughts) are tethered to one’s head. These balls can be placed in a variety of location to indicate the intensity of the thoughts. Times when the thoughts are very loud and overwhelming can demonstrated by the balls being stuck to hat, covering the ears. This causes all other sound to be obstructed by the muttering. When the negative thoughts are less present, the balls can hang at the shoulders where the muttering can barely be heard. This is, in a sense, a play on the “voices in your head”. The advantage of having them be externalized and detachable is that you can share them with a friend.
Audio is played from a hacked MP3 player. Speakers are embedded in the angry balls.
The play button of the MP3 player is intercepted and replaced with a soft switch so the system can be activated and deactivated by squeezing the tether line.
The muttering audio can be heard here.
