A strange and playful new installation has arrived at Emporium Melbourne, where domestic robots come together in a choreographed display as part of the winter RISING festival.
The work transforms the retail space into a resting ground for a collection of nostalgic and contemporary robotic companions, led by the familiar presence of Furbies alongside designs from Yukai Engineering. Suspended between memory and machine, the figures sit quietly in sculptural arrangements before suddenly activating in synchronised bursts of movement and sound.
Created in collaboration with studio BOWL’s Ryohei Murakami and National Communications Museum, the installation explores how humans relate to technology through rhythm, motion and presence. The robots appear both familiar and uncanny, blending soft toy nostalgia with futuristic engineering in a shared performance space.
Visitors are invited to encounter the work as it slowly unfolds inside Emporium Melbourne, where the machines shift between stillness and unexpected life. The experience is designed to feel playful yet slightly unsettling, reflecting the blurred line between comfort objects and intelligent devices.
At its core, the installation asks how emotional connection is formed with objects that respond, mimic and move with us. The robotic gathering becomes a kind of silent conversation, expressed entirely through movement and sound rather than language.
The installation sits within a sculptural environment where each figure appears to be waiting, as if paused mid-thought, ready to reawaken when approached.
Furby Chorus and Friends is at Emporium Melbourne from 27 May to 21 June.
