Ethereal Alchemy

Ethereal Alchemy is an interactive and immersive experience fusing Dance and Movement Therapy with Daoist philosophy. Participants explore sentimental landscapes through body movements, activating real-time visualizations inspired by Chinese Daoism's BaGua (Eight Trigrams), fostering self-awareness and Body-Mind Synergy.

Key Words:
Meditative and Healing Experience, Algorithmic Visualization, Kinetic Interactive Projections

Aug 2023 - May 2024

Technology:
Three.js
Node.js
Kinect
Projection Mapping

Individual Project
Advisor: Jung Hyun Moon

In our increasingly digitized society, individuals often struggle with expressing and releasing complex emotions, particularly young individuals facing mental health challenges. "Ethereal Alchemy" offers an immersive and interactive experience designed to guide participants on a meditative and healing journey, fostering self-awareness and holistic well-being. Rooted in Dance and Movement Therapy (DMT) and inspired by Chinese Daoist philosophy, this project encourages participants to embrace the essence of DMT and Daoist wisdom by exploring the interconnectedness of body and mind through expressive movements and sentiment-evoking interactive visuals.

The participant is guided to navigate the space and engage in movement interactive media experiences through immersive floor and wall projections. Their movements activate different trigrams within the BaGua, each representing a sentimental and natural landscape, generating real-time visual interactions that align with the emotional and elemental essence of the activated trigram in Daoism. Powered by motion-tracking technology using Kinect and algorithmic visualization with three.js particle systems, this project facilitates interaction between participants and their environment. It encourages meditation and engagement, allowing individuals to connect with and immerse themselves in the environment they help create. Through this project, I aim to bridge cultural practices and contemporary technology to facilitate emotional healing, meditation, and self-awareness.

Problem

With my observations, I noticed:

- A growing demand for depression treatment.
- An increasing number of people seeking emotional healing through virtual spaces.

These trends reflect a continuing mental health crisis, which is further supported by data.

Theoretical Model for Design

The investigation explores the interconnected philosophy of body-mind monism in both Eastern and Western traditions, drawing parallels between Chinese Taoist Philosophy and Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) on their foundational beliefs and ultimate goals.

Experimental analyses delve into the intricate relationship between motion and emotion using the Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and Russell's Circumplex Model of Affection (CMA).

Additionally, the study incorporates principles from positive technology, examines case studies of emotion visualization and reflection-prompting experience, and integrates insights from the process model of emotion regulation in psychology, aiming to identify effective media methods capable of influencing one's mental state.