Mind Hygiene
Mixed Media, 3 Objects
2016
In a neuroscientific world, the self is less produced through introspection and training, but through neurotechnological testing and manipulation. The project Mind Hygiene consists of three devices for testing and changing the self.
Empathy Scale. A sequence of images is presented to the test subject. The empathic state is measured by analysing the microgestural response to the images on the screen. In the case of a low empathic response, the images become more brutal; in the case of a high empathic response, they become more gentle.
True Love. Two subjects stand on the apparatus facing each other. On pressing the button, a gas flows through the outlets. This gas activates the production of a pair-bonding neurotransmitter in the brain, which will create a permanent bond between the subjects.
Mirror Stage. The response to one's own mirror-image is measured through a neurofeedback device, which analyses the subject's brain waves. If the subject is in an euphoric or tranquil state, the image stays clear; if the subject is in a disturbed or upset state, the image becomes blurry. The device thereby aids the development of a positive self-image.
Credits
Concept and Design: Björn Franke
Exhibitions
Work in Progress, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland, December 16–17, 2019.
Der Schmerz des Anderen, Showroom Z+, Zurich, Switzerland, April 7–8, 2016.
Disruption, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom, January 21–28, 2013.
KM 500/3, Kunsthalle Mainz, Germany, November 19, 2010 – January 16, 2011.
Territories of the In/Human, Würtembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart, Germany, April 30 – August 1, 2010.
Hortus Conclusus/Apertus, Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral Bad Ems, Germany, October 3–11, 2009.