Urge - Robot Mimics You
San Francisco, California
A Terminator-like metal skeleton figure stands atop a metal Earth globe in the Children's Garden, near the carousel at the Moscone Center. The sculpture is called "Urge," by artist Chico MacMurtrie. It is shadowed by trees along the concrete walkway, and somewhat disturbing. Suddenly, the Terminator crouches, ready to spring....
The quiet, unexpected animation of "Urge" is triggered by a pressure plate beneath a facing park bench. Anyone who sits on it and weighs more than 130 pounds will trigger the action (130 pounds? America? No problem.). You stand up, he stands up.
The motion is delayed a bit, and some onlookers never make the cause-and-effect connection.