A unique artistic
performance, created by a researcher from Northumbria University, Newcastle, has
been staged during a major electronic arts conference in Colombia.
Helen Collard uses fNIRS technology
to demonstrate the changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin levels
that take place in the brain while carrying out yogic breathing exercises known
as pranayama. These changes are then illustrated through sound and light.
The bio-artwork, entitled Finding Prana, was performed at ISEA
International – an annual conference attended by organisations and individuals workingwith art, science and
technology, which this year took place in Manizales, Colombia.
Helen, an artist and PhD
researcher in the School of Design (Interactive Media) at Northumbria, said: “My work is
based on the yogic concept of prana, meaning both breath and life, and the
practice of pranayama in which the practitioner moves through a series of
exercises that regulate the breath.
“In this performance I
record the changing levels of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin levels in
each hemisphere of the brain using fNIRS technology. The data is then sonified,
expressing in real-time, through sound and light the changing levels of
oxygenated haemoglobin by the moving and suspended breath.
“The aim of this
interdisciplinary work is to remind us that breathing is not just a bodily
function segregated away from the mind, breathing has agency and breathing
practices like pranayama can be considered a self-technology through which we can
explore the connection between body and mind and our bodies with others.”
With the onset of air
pollution in many major cities and the extreme smog, known as wumai, experienced in Beijing in recent
years, Helen’s project also aims to raise interest in why breath and the air we
breathe matters.
She added: “Breath becomes a
political, scientific, social, spiritual and environmental concern. In this bio-art
work breath is situated as a powerful potentiality. Finding Prana offers an interdisciplinary discussion upon actions
of human embodiment, science and technology.
“It is an artist’s study
that seeks to explore where and how we might focus on the constitution of human
self, ask questions of human intimacy and offer an imagining of our own
technology and engagements.”
This work contributes to the University’s strategic
initiative to bring together academics from across different departments and
faculties to share knowledge and expertise to find innovative solutions to some
of the world’s greatest challenges. Researchers within the multi-disciplinary
theme IDEATE are exploring how creative design can be put into practice to
realise and explore possible futures, and, in turn, foster innovation.
To find out more
visit https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/changing-challenging-world/ideate/
