We're naturally curious creatures, and Pirolt wanted to explore the extent of that curiosity by challenging those who viewed his art. He created a sculpture that was the bust of a human male with large, open eyes. Pirolt placed a warning underneath his sculpture that reads "Warning Do Not Look Into The Eyes," but created a sensor system that can detect when onlookers disobey this warning.

If you daringly stare into the sculpture's eyes, a powerful but harmless stream of water promptly comes shooting out. This stream of water hits the plastic enclosure surrounding the sculpture so no one actually gets wet, but the surprise they experience acts as a very light-hearted punishment for succumbing to curiosity. So why on earth do we so reliably disobey orders and do the opposite of what we're told?

Psychology tells us that it relates to the idea of autonomy, or the sense that we are free as individuals to choose; it's the sense that we are in control of self and that no one else can dictate the course of our actions. No one likes being told what to do, regardless of age, gender, location on the globe, or any other differentiating factors. Often times we do the opposite of what we're being told to do just to protect our sense of autonomy; if you don't do what you're being told then you have re-established your freedom of choice, and therefore control.

Pirolt's sculpture plays on the human desire to maintain autonomy and provides some hilarious results. Watch the video below to see how different people reacted to the surprise!