JEFRË, born Jefrë Manuel Figueras, has created Talking Heads, a permanent installation featuring six large sculptures in the lobby of SM Prime’s Five Ecom Center Building in Manila, The Philippines. The installation opened in December, 2015.

The six sculptures resemble expressionless human heads. Each head wears a different colored headset. Measuring 6 feet in height and 5 feet in width, the hollow heads are made from clear acrylic panels and are hung from the ceiling of two opposite lobbies.

Visitors wishing to speak to customer service representatives from businesses located within this building may step inside any of these heads and do so via built-in speakers. “The inspiration came to me from the concept of the unknown workforce, an idea that came to me when I visited the building,” the artist explains. The installation evokes an image of a call center employee and embodies the faceless, robotic voice encountered in corporate customer service.

Jefrë Manuel Figueras, known as JEFRË, is a noted public artist from Chicago. Educated in the Arts and Landscape Architecture, he has always been interested in creating spatial experiences. He is recognized for creating spaces that are original, forward thinking and unexpected. He has constructed several large-scale site-specific artworks in cities around the world including London, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Abu Dhabi, and San Antonio.