ALEX ELMESTAD: spatial research + sensory design
Sensory Architecture: Ethereal Transition
2007
Constructed corner hallway, 2 doors, subwoofer, tactile transducer, amplifier, infrasound, acoustic foam, memory foam, fluorescent lights, and sign
Dimensions variable
Sensory Architecture is an alternative form of architecture that has been developed in response to modern technologies and the human's ultimate desire to become fully integrated with their surroundings. Sensory architecture can be thought of not just through constructed space, dwellings, or shelters, but instead as the experience of a space. A human being and other living organisms experience their environment through their senses. The human ability of perception allows individuals creative exploration and discovery. Sensory architecture is not only a sensuous environment, but it is also a place of social interaction and communication. Within the properties of space, we learn, develop, and adapt to our artificial or natural location.

A 9' x 9' long by 3' wide by 8' tall hallway with two doors was constructed in a corner of a gallery. The walls were painted to the exact color white of the gallery so that the architecture would match exactly. The finished exterior resembled a storage or utility room of the gallery. When the door was opened a blue glowing light enticed a viewer around the corner. Once inside the blue light flooded the space and the viewer’s body. The floor was cushioned with memory foam and with each step a viewer became weightless and disoriented. A subwoofer and tactile transducer created the effects of infrasound (sound below the threshold of human hearing or -20Hz). Infrasound is not heard, but instead it is felt through vibrations of sonic waves. Some effects of infrasound include: mild hallucinations, optical illusions, brief discomfort, disorientation, nausea, increase in heart rate, claustrophobia, difficulty breathing or swallowing, slight euphoria, a feeling of awe, fear, anxiety, or a feeling of paranormal phenomena. Various tonal waveforms were played for a duration of five minutes each. Some frequencies included: 18.98Hz - which is the frequency of the eye, and when two of the same frequencies overlap it causes the eyeball to wobble and hallucinate. The frequency of 10-15Hz was also played, which are some of the frequencies the brain operates on, and it may cause anxiety, headaches, discomfort or other mild effects on the body such as the feeling of depersonalization - or the failed sense of reality where the world becomes dreamlike, vague, and less real.
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