I recently took Devising Experiential Media Systems taught by Alex Oliszewski and Oded Huberman. For my final project I turned a room in my house into an audio guided movement meditation experience. My goal was for the experience to be user-guided and provide feedback for the user based on where they went in the room and the movement they chose to make with their body. I also wanted to engage as many senses as possible, to allow the user to root themselves in the present and release tension. After entering the room, the user can move between the two locations as many times as they would like, creating a custom experience that lasts as long as they want it to.
This video shows a demonstration of the room’s capabilities: https://osu.box.com/s/dd5izpw890mx3330r43qgdj3fazkux6i
I think in all this room took me ~40 hours to put together. It uses a projector and 2 depth sensors, connected to my computer where I used Isadora to design the response of the room. Due to coronavirus restrictions the only people that were able to engage in the room were myself and my roommate, here is what she had to say about the experience: “The room offered me a place to reconnect with myself amidst the hectic everyday tasks of life. When in the room, I was able to forget about the things that always linger in the back of my mind, like schoolwork and job applications, and focus on myself and the experience around me. The room was a haven that awakened my senses by helping me unplug from the busy city and allowing me to interact with the calming environment around me.”
Kara Komarnitsky 