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This desktop ornament tracks the value of cryptocurrency using a … seesaw?

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"The Market" Trailer from August & Wonder (no title)

OK, so people who trade in currencies can check their market fluctuations online, but where is the fun in that? If you want a more original — and, to be honest, attractive — way of keeping tabs on the market then, boy, have we got the thing for you! Called The Market, it’s a kinetic smart sculpture of a bull and a bear on a seesaw, which tilts in real time to reflect actual day-over-day changes in capital markets.

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By combining internet connectivity with old-world materials like copper, zinc, brass and natural woods, it’s the perfect mix of past and present. Users can set The Market to track any one of 11 global stock indexes or four major cryptocurrencies via an accompanying iOS or Android mobile app — although once it has been set, it will continue to function independently.

“I wanted to take the type of wonder people experience with installations and make that experience accessible for people to have in their homes and everyday life,” August and Wonder founder Steve August told Digital Trends. “With The Market, I feel like I’ve found the formula to make that happen: To fuse art and the Internet of Things to create [a] sense of poetic connection to the world.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Only 300 pieces of The Market Series A will ever be created. While we have yet to get our hands on a unit, it looks to be a stunning object that deserves to have pride of place on your desktop or mantelpiece. It is currently available for pre-order in two versions. One is a plug-in version that will set you back $495, while a slightly more expensive $525 version is a cordless battery-powered variant. August also notes that customers can pay using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Dash. Production is currently in progress and shipping is estimated to start in late June or early July.

“How we experience tech has been defined by the big tech companies: Hyper-functional, hyper-intrusive, sleek, but cold and transactional,” August explained. “August and Wonder is asking if tech can be fused with art to create things that are warm and organic, non-intrusive, yet still connective.”

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Luke Dormehl
Luke Dormehl
Contributor
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
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