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 harmony between body and mind.

Project Video

Abstract

"Ethereal Alchemy" is an immersive and interactive experience that blends principles from Dance and Movement Therapy with the wisdom of Chinese Traditional Daoism to guide participants on a transformative journey of emotional exploration and self-awareness. In our increasingly digitized society, individuals often struggle with expressing and releasing complex emotions, particularly young individuals facing mental health challenges. This project seeks to provide an internalized healing environment, promoting self-reflection and holistic well-being by integrating physical and bodily dimensions with emotional and spiritual aspects, aiming to bridge the gap between body and mind. Driven by a desire to deepen the connection with the participant’s body and mind, I integrated Daoist philosophy and the meditative approach of Dance and Movement Therapy to encourage expressive body movement and evoke sentiment through interactive visuals. Emphasizing synergy between body and mind to enhance holistic well-being, I guided participants to navigate the space and engage in interactive media experiences. Participants are initially guided to navigate around the space through interactive floor projections, where the activeness of their movements activate different trigrams within the BaGua, each representing sentimental and natural landscapes. Subsequently, particles transition from the floor to the wall, creating 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 particle systems, this project creates a peaceful and immersive environment that is influenced by the user’s movement. Through the interaction between the user and the environment, participants engage in meditation and interaction, connecting with and immersing 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. Ethereal Alchemy offers an innovative approach to holistic well-being, drawing from ancient wisdom and modern interactive art to create a transformative experience resonating with individuals seeking harmony between body and mind.

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