POETICstates

POETICstates is a movement-based bio-sensorial interface designed by Gustavo Sol (Dr. Gustavo Garcia da Palma), Centro Universitário Belas Artes de São Paolo, Brazil

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Originally meant as a bio-data performance interface for actors, POETICstates was developed in and through a solo performance by Gustavo Sol called "Discontinuous Object", where he investigated how  Poetic States of Presence (PSP), bio-data, performance and acting relate to one another. For the purposes of the PLAYStrong workshop, the intent was to build on this earlier project and find potential applications for the interface to help university students improve their mental health. 

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The bio-data, which includes EEG, ECG, and facial recognition, are translated into visual representations which are then projected onto a wall and auditory cues. Those visualizations auditory cues update in real time which allow the subject to watch, listen and respond to themselves. The idea is that the subject will get a better sense of what processes are occurring in their body and how to control them by seeing the visual representations of that bio-data and experimenting with techniques to alter their state. By creating this sort of feedback loop the subject can gain more understanding and control over their bodily responses.