They say matchmaking is a science, but Bumble has it down to a fine art...literally.
Modern dating goes something like this: late one night, you notice how empty the other side of your bed feels and consequently reach out to old beaus buried in your contacts. You rattle off a dozen “Hey, how’s it going” texts and slide into a DM or two, go on a string of first dates where saccharine conversation is aided only by boozy cocktails, and the chemistry is painfully misaligned. You swear off finding love, insist you're happier on your own and tell yourself that maybe a lifetime of eating takeout Chinese by your lonesome on the couch isn’t so bad after all! Rinse and repeat.
But what if there was a way to avoid the tiresome dead-end dates and endless midnight scrolling? What if we could bring back the good old-fashioned IRL meet-cutes without the irksome barriers of ghosting and paywalls? Rest your thumbs! Cease your swiping! Bumble, the expert connections app, brought the algorithmic personality profiles and compatibility assessments to in-person with Italian artist Alex Valentina for Highsnobiety’s Not In Miami experiential series from December 3 to 8.
From a juicy yellow plum speared on a sharp kitchen knife with translucent insects to a glassy eyeball surrounded by plucked amber-hued flower petals, Valentina’s works exist beyond the confines of a single medium or classification. By pairing still-life photography with 3D digital art, Valentina creates worlds between reality and surreality—perhaps the sweet spot where true love really exists. Well, one could hope.
“I'm obsessed with biology and how the shape of chemicals can actually be very aesthetic. From rocks and to fungi, to little microbes—everything reminds me how life forms in a way,” Valentina says of his natural muses. “They are part of this world where everything gets mixed and creates something unique anytime they collide together.”
Sometimes, those collisions create sparks. Pun intended.
Rest assured, this wasn’t your typical speed dating service. Utilizing selected works of the celebrated Milan-based multimedia creative, Bumble paired Miami’s downtown scene to an artwork and its vibe based on their answers to a speedy six-prompt questionnaire. Think: the ideal opening moves for a first date. By selecting their answers to heavy hitters like “What’s your SMS love language?” (are you the emoji aficionado or the voice note obsessed?) and “Pick your poison”(sophisticated champagne or classic G&T?), pollsters were paired with an original Valentina composition. Then, the famous Bumble algorithm got to work.
With their immediate results, exhibition attendees received a color-coded bracelet to match their dating archetype: the harmonious unifiers slipped on pink bracelets to pair with “We make the rules,” a pastel gradient opus of translucent koi fish finding rhythm in connectivity, seemingly splashing their way across the digital screen. The edgy risk takers, known for their more daring choices in love and life, received a green bracelet alongside their oeuvre, “A symbiotic view on life,” featuring a juicy plum speared on a sharp blade adorned by gentle translucent firefly and beatle—yin, meet yang. The hot messes we all love to love grabbed a blue bracelet to match “All the possible futures,” a chaotic blend of water, air, and earth elements exploring all corners of the screen. The deep-feeling bohemians, yellow-braceleted and sensitive, paired with “and now you are,” spotlighting an eyeball peering out from behind a veil of yellow petals and seeing through the layers of one’s spirit. After all, that’s what those hippies are all about. The hedonistic high-maintenance lovers, driven by their quintessential cravings for opulence, threw on a black bracelet and paired up with “U were savage, eating hearts then moving on.” A black background reveals the remnants of a lavish meal, just like the next “situationship” they’re ready to devour.
All is fair in love and…art? Yep, that’s it! Let the dating games begin. After snagging their wristlet, Bumblers found love poolside. Well, kinda. Single minglers lounged by a cobalt pool installation—sans the water, of course—eyeing for a matching braceleted boo. The matching extroverts laughed in boisterous spurts. The free spirits discussed the next far-away locales calling their names. Attendees waltzed over to a parasoled bar counter in pairs of twos, a spree of coffee dates brewing side by side. Sipping on fresh espresso from Hotel Drugs, love was in the air. No, maybe that was just lust. But as long as the drinks were flowing and the convo was going—does it really matter?
Could offline connections powered by online algorithms be the future? Survey says yes.
