Neurofeedback as a medium of digital portraiture

I wanted to share this photo again as I particularly like this mediation of my artwork ‘The Phrontesterion’ –  it captures the essence of biofeedback / neurofeedback in a digitally enabled and augmented portraiture medium, with a nod to the classic genres in painting, sculpture and observation / witness / patient ( by the next participant waiting in the wings ) We the audience witness the fleeting changes from Beta, Alpha and Theta into Hypnagogic brainwaves undulate on a screen, as the percipient, the solo audience member being monitored engages in a discrete interaction with the sound of their own thoughts, frontal lobe decisions and potential surreal reveries sonified !

I find the whole experience quite intimate, and I interview each person afterwards. This was in The East Wing of The Royal Academy in 2015 during ‘Lates’, one of my favourite evenings ever as an artist.

The Phrontesterion : inside an installation steered by your brainwaves

See and head the outcomes here as 10 minutes is compressed to 1 minute 43 seconds, all sounds are triggered by EEG and all Entoptic and Phosphene ephemeral visuals are experienced by the percipient in the dentist chair, behind closed eyelids.

The artwork involves a brainwave monitor, so all the sounds heard are modulated and controlled via the participant – their EEG signal is being recorded in realtime and output as dynamic changes and interaction within a sonic score. A sonification we can hear manifests, as do ‘Entoptic’ patterns, phosphenes and many ‘non-linear narratives’ making a unique phenomenal artwork for each participant (their eyes are closed, and they are wearing headphones in a dentist chair). The Phrontesterion is driven by their brain’s response to a Theta wave (4-8 Hz) entrainment protocol by lights (PandoraStar & Dreamachine), in return they receive access to subconscious idling, reveries and tranquility.

The video was captured by Go Pro and shows the 10 minute experience condensed to one minute.. the following visual analysis is the EEG of the participant made using IBVA software and captured using a 2 channel Brainmachine monitor ( http://www.brainmachine.co.uk) all the sounds are made from the EEG controlling the score, custom Brain Switch Audio Unit plugins are in the library to enable this for each frequency bandwidth from the Left and Right sides of the frontal region ( FP1 and FP2 )

Field & feedback recordings within EEG controlled soundscape

Experience your brainwaves remixing you a curious field and feedback recordings comprising previous particiapants stories in the special soundscape. Your EEG : Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta brainwave frequencies changing in realtime from your reactions to the light, they can control, hide and modulate various layers within the piece. So you can hear your Sonified EEG in my installation ‘#The_Phrontesterion’ within this group show.

Hours of opening for me are 6-10pm opening day thursday 22nd, then friday 23rd 5pm-9pm, saturday 24th 5-10pm, sunday 25th, 2pm-6pm.

Ugly Duck, 47-49 Tanner Street, London, SE1 3PL

 

New Sounds & new smells to relax, aid memory and reflect your responses (!) – the latest Phrontesterion requests your participation in The Ugly Duck next week (free) …

 

Using PandoraStar and Dreamachine to access your Reveries and Subconscious in one of the factory rooms on the first floor, .. with projected EEG for the audience to see during each personal session in the dentist chair.

www.uglyduck.org.uk/real-virtual-festival/

 

( sorry but no brainwave analysis or personal recordings are possible during this live art experience ) – photos / videos permitted, all are welcome

22-25 June – Phrontesterion in The UglyDuck ‘Real Virtual’

Come to Bermondsey, to the Ugly Duck warehouse for ‘Real Virtual’ show of artists exploring alternative realities through art and technology  and on the 1st floor for 4 days ( 5pm-9pm-10pm close, Sunday 1pm-6pm closing ) I am inside the Phrontesterion, its second showing in London this year – you need to take part one at a time, allow 25 minutes if its busy. A new brainwave triggered interactive sound experience with your eyes closed in a dentist chair,, using flashing lights so not suitable if you have migraines ever or photosensitive epilepsy.

 

Open Senses symposium

This friday 19th May I am showing my syncretic, participatory artwork in its latest version ‘The Phronteserion’ between 3 and 9pm in The Institute of Philosophy, Bloomsbury, London.

The Open Senses Symposium brings together an interdisciplinary group of practitioners and artists exploring sensory practice. The event features exhibition stalls, panel discussions, pop-up talks and experiences showcasing work in academia, inclusive practice, scent, food, medicine, theatre, music, law, restaurants, typography, dance … and more @OpenSensesUK

The goal of the Symposium is to challenge, demonstrate and interrogate how sensory practice is capable of building greater connection to the world, our environment, the people around us and ourselves, #OpenSenses2017

In this interactive, participatory artwork #The_Phrontesterion, the EEG entirely controls the soundtrack in a feedback loop – the brainwaves of participants are monitored whilst experiencing a dynamically choreographed stroboscopic wellness lamp. As well as this a ‘#Dreamachine’ sets the tempo – this classic kinetic sculpture spinning atop a record player invoking the phenomena Flicker (brainwaves slow to 8-10 hz cycles) via a process of simple neurofeedback. Emergent sonic-guides and voices recede, new ideas come to the fore, in a secluded space, importantly with their eyes closed, reclined in an air-pumped dentist chair, they float back down, where time disappeared – experiencing reverie. Experience rejuvenation, hypnotic time distortion, refreshed creativity and ‘nonlinear thinking’.

Tickets available to enable you to Control your synths / visual software with your brainwaves

Control your synths / visual software with your own brainwaves with our VIP ticket option in  #HackstockBeyond #SFL17, London May 5-6

Have your EEG recorded with Brain Machine (IBVA) the best bit is we will provide you with the actual raw data file as well as a video of your brainwaves. Some of the possibilities from the raw data of your brainwaves include: using each separate brainwave frequency ( Alpha, theta, delta, Beta, Gamma ) from the front of your brain (2 channels) as interactive controls to manipulate any MIDI parameter you like ! 

This is great for use in your projects like generative audio/visual compositions e.g. use a specific EEG frequency such as Theta to open and modulate filters, triggers, effect samples, shift pitch etc. The data is easily imported for you to explore in applications such as Ableton, Max/MSP, and visually with OSC, VDMX, Quartz composer and Fugio. Demonstrations of how to apply this will be available in the East room in The Trampery, Friday May 5th – May 6th, between 11am and 18.30pm.

We have two ticket types : for £10 you will have a 20 minute individual session with the Lucid Wellness Lamp ‘PandoraStar’ supervised by us (with unique accompanying music).
We also have a limited quantity of VIP tickets for just £25 where we record your brainwaves during your PandoraStar experience, save and export the data of your experience for you to take home and apply.

https://billetto.co.uk/e/brain-in-the-strobe-hackstock-beyond-2017-tickets-187844

Hypnagogic Art & Neuroscience space in the East Room in The Trampery : Hackstock2017

Book tickets for an individual session from £10 for 20 minutes (with optional extra for brainwave recording )with PandoraStar here :
www.billetto.co.uk/events/lucid-strobe-light-tickets-187844/tickets

05.05.17 – 06.05.17 Hackstock2017 – Opening times – 10.30am-18.30pm. Luciana and her team offers you the opportunity to book an individual session with the latest technological genius in psychedelic strobing white light, and potentially have your brainwaves monitored and recorded. Just curious ? You can compare this with a Dreamachine – an iconic kinetic light sculpture setup in our Arts Laboratory. Working with the Brainmachine (IBVA) EEG monitors Luciana and her team can combine recording the brainwaves of participants whilst they are experiencing the wonderful phenomena ‘PandoraStar’ – the latest in Stroboscopic Light Therapies. This  is a non-intrusive form of light therapy, which
concentrates the mind and involves the client closing their eyes under a flickering light machine. The session can provide a client with relief from tension, relieving stiff muscles and joints in the physical body. The session is highly relaxing and can have a profound relief upon the negative effects of stress.

We will also have a classic Dreamachine designed by artist Bryon Gysin in the 1960s spinning proudly on a record player for drop-in anytime. I will also take part in Talkaoke at 11.30am on the friday and have the East Room setup as an ongoing Hypnagogic Art of Neuroscience laboratory with Brainmachine (IBVA) and bookable individual Pandorastar sessions.

www.creative-mapping.com/hackstock/

The Trampery, Old Street, London, EC1V 9EY, United Kingdom