Artist Uses Her Own Brainwaves To Manipulate Water – This Is The Incredible Power Of Human Emotion

Sep 17, 2018 by apost team

We are often afraid of showing emotion. We worry that it makes us vulnerable. If you cry in public or are too enthusiastic, it's showing the "real you." Lisa Park is an artist who's turning that fear on its head.

She's revolutionized making art with a performance called "Eunoia." The name comes from the Greek words "eu" (meaning "well") and "nous," which means "mind." Together, "Eunoia" means "beautiful thinking."

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And what "beautiful thinking" it is!

Lisa Park is well-known for combining biosensors and art. In "Eunoia," Park crouches in the middle of 48 vibration pools that are tuned to her EEG headset. (EEG readings are used to measure brainwaves.) The 48 pools are meant to symbolize Baruch Spinoza's philosophy about emotion.

In his book "Ethica," Spinoza writes that humans have 48 distinct emotions, which include fear, excitement, and meditation. He emphasized that it's important for us to understand our emotions in order to master them.

As Park works through her emotions, her mental state is reflected outwardly. The EEG signals become vibrations in each pool. The pools rest on speakers so we're hearing Park's emotions as well as "seeing" them.

When Park is calm, so too are the pools. The pools start to vibrate more intensely if Park is stressed or sad or scared.

The vibrations are also combined with sound. When Park feels really emotional, the sound feedback will be louder.

That's the whole point of the show. Park wanted to be able to visualize her own emotions and encourage others to reflect as well.

She talked to the art collective "The Creators Project" about her process. Park explained that her goal is to make "invisible energy" more visible.

The connection with water is no coincidence. Park observed that we humans are made of 60% water.

She thinks that if we have a strong emotion, it creates a vibration in whatever's inside us, maybe even all that water!

Park executes this concept beautifully. She wears a simple blue-and-white dress that looks a lot like a wave, which continues the water theme.

Her concentration is incredible. Park is completely lost in thought, absorbed in her own emotions. It's like witnessing a therapy session: her art is both individual and universal.

The credits for the "soundtrack" for this piece are unique. They were composed on the spot, with every feedback that Park is thinking into existence.

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