Our perception of the world is shaped by our expectations and assumptions, as well as what we see, but our senses are easily tricked. This workshop will explore ways in which we can remap perception creatively to enhance our experience of objects and space. Participants experiment with multisensory illusion, combining sound, light, and tactile elements, to create hallucinatory effects, changing our perception of space and our bodies, tricking our mind into thinking parts of our body have transformed or moved. These experiments highlight perceptual plasticity; our ability to adapt and make sense of new sensory information.
These themes will be explored through demonstrations, experiments and discussion.
[See the documentation form recent workshops here…]
As an introduction, I will talk about the sensory systems in animals, such as electric fish, and the ways in which I have used these ideas in my work [Enki project]. Participants will solder a circuit board to create a biofeedback brain-machine based on an electric fish, the ‘Fish-brain-interface’. Take part in psychology experiments, explore spatial perception by modifying senses, discuss and develop new experiments and experiences.
Day 1:
Introduction [Background to my work and the Enki project]
Demonstration of Psychoacoustic sonic illusions.
Fish brain Machine circuit [ See below ]
Sensory deprivation – Ganzfeld perception [ See resource ]
Clay hand / invisible hand experiment.
DIY out of body experience [if there is time]
Day 2:
Transmitting and receiving sound through light.
Sensing and transmitting through electromagnetic fields [resource]
– Considering electromagnetic objects or objects created with sound and light. Discussing/inventing.
Electronic taste perception experiments [resource]
Fish-Brain-Machine circuit
The Fish-Brain-Machine circuit represents the biology of an electro-genic fish known as the Black Ghost Knife Fish. These fish navigate with electrical fields generated from within their bodies. Their skin is used as a receptor to see the world around them.
The Enki project used the electrical signals from these fish to control stroboscopic flashing lights that create hallucinogenic visual patterns, that in turn affect our brain states*. Sweat sensors send a signal back to the fish, creating an interconnected loop of biofeedback between the human and fish.
The Fish-Brain-Machine circuit senses sweat levels on your fingertips to control the stroboscopic LEDs. Place this over the eyes, sit back and experience hallucinogenic visuals. The Circuit represents the Enki project in miniature and was designed in collaboration with Marc Dusseiller as part of the Enki exhibition Kapellica Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Link to Enki Project 2012…
[RE]Action Lab 