Artists Use Twitter To Generate Giant Inflatable Mood Ring For The City Of Minneapolis

Nineties junkies, this one's for you.

Meet MIMMI, a giant inflatable "collective mood ring" that actively transmits the emotional state of the city of Minneapolis. Or, Minneapolis Twitter users at least. The piece, designed by INVIVIA and Urbain DRC, processes Minneapolis' tweets in real-time, bringing virtual triumphs and woes to the sensual, IRL realm.

This tech-savvy project is far more involved than the original accessory -- which, let's be real, was always just kind of bluish gray. For MIMMI's ever-changing hue, design group INVIVIA used open source textual analysis to categorize tweets as positive or negative. There are over 4,000 words in the system, each of which corresponds to a certain color.

The colors are then projected in the inflatable ring in real-time, using wifi-enabled LED bulbs and automated mist. The over-achieving ring also intensifies depending upon how many people are gathered around it, emitting more light and mist for big crowds, dancing and other high-octane activity.

The overall mood of Minneapolis will be projected through the 40 by 75-foot sculptural form, which resembles the lovechild of a ring and a cloud. "Minneapolis has a particular fascination with weather," Jack Cochrane of Urbain DRC told The Creator's Project.

"We see all extremes of climate here over the course of a year, and it’s something that greatly impacts our moods. We also liked it because clouds can block or permit sunlight (akin to our light display) and, of course, rain (for our misting). We also liked the idea that the cloud could be nebulous and mysterious, capable of emitting something that was previously unknown."

The intuitive cumulus is currently floating above the Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza. In case you're not able to see the mood ring up close and personal, follow MIMMI on a live feed here.

h/t The Creator's Project.