“Entheogen” is an immersive audiovisual installation that incorporates an in-depth analysis of how the perception of light, audio, and color can influence our mindfulness by inducing a psychological trance.
This project began as my honors research project for Hunter College. Personal experiences revealed to me that art and new media have entheogenic qualities which have the power to transform consciousness. As a result, I spent my last year in undergrad exploring my interest exploring how integrated variations of light and sound influence brain activity and alter brainwave frequencies.
“Entheogen” reflects on various environmental factors and techniques that lead someone into a trance-like state. My objective was to understand how the interactivity of an environment, or augmenting our reality, can allow us to control issues such as regulating emotions, memory, anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and substance abuse. I incorporated the skills I developed as an Emerging Media student, in the field of computer programming and new media, to create a nuanced installation that programmatically controls light and sound to take a participant out of their normal state of being.
”Entheogen” allows participants to immerse themselves into a meditation space where their brainwave frequencies are measured with an electroencephalogram (EEG). The information from the EEG is then interpreted into a generative polyphonic audiovisual performance. The meditation space is completely illuminated with color-changing light and includes an mp3 player for users to listen to custom made binaural beats with headphones.
This project was influenced by the artists and composers who utilize the properties of light and audio as a medium for augmenting human perception. My inspiration includes the work of James Turrell, Robert Irwin, Anthony McCall, La Monte Young, John Cage, Philip Glass, and Alvin Lucier. Through a careful examination of their techniques, I designed a unique system that is used in my installation to entrain participant's brainwave frequencies and create a generative audiovisual representation of the mind.
This exploration has uncovered many possibilities for art and new media to influence technology that can benefit the future of society. I wish to examine and experiment with these possibilities while I continue working on this project in the future.