My project is an experience related to the cognitive processes that we provoke when we physically interact with other beings. In this case, fruits and their smells.
It contains an installation -artifact that works as a Smell Machine, “La Máquina de Los Olores” , which is a nexus where unconsciousness becomes conscious through its mechanism. This artifact generates a Smell Reading which simulates what we know as a tarot reading, but another type.
It is an interface between the spiritual, humans, and technology, with an interdisciplinary holistic background that claims for the intelligence of our body using biodecoding as the main tool, among others.
The target is to collect the phenomena of the participants using ethereal tools and sensors, in order to generate a reading for self-knowledge purposes.
In general, the experience is colored by an atmosphere of mysticism and technology which probably suggests the rapport with the encounter. It was designed like that to transmit the previous tests that I did with the holistic community which was practiced in a raw version and without sensors. I can tell that with them it is not necessary to use any material mediator, like the fruits, it can work just with the remembrance of them.
Through my perception I wanted people to be aware of their capacities and self-know because I believe that in order to connect with other beings or nature you must connect with yourself first.
At the beginning of the process, I ask for permission from people to give them information about their gifts and talents using ethereal tools in order to collect data for the final experience I was preparing. It seems to me that these interventions moralize implicitly due to the fact that I explain the case and they accept it. It was a transaction of data to help each other. Nonetheless, some of them think this info was not relevant to them.
However, some of the people I asked refused to do it, and others said they were afraid of whatever I was trying to do, generating some conflicts with the project that made me reflect on whether what I was doing was appropriate or not. On the other hand, other subjects got in touch with the information received, and they were the ones who helped me the most to collect the info. With these subjects, some feedback was out of the time of the event, even months later.
After these events, I noticed I was putting the subjects in a vulnerable place, and some of them were not comfortable with that. Furthermore, thoughts like, should I continue with these, or is it too invasive? made me realize that If I want to show others the research I was doing with this community I ought to present it to random people in a different format. And, it influenced the aesthetic of the installation -artifact I am creating.
Moreover, the project is an interactive art piece with meaning, that could be used as a game if some people want to because it is how I want it to be represented by my first person perspective research through design with the holistic community from the past months, as well.
I believe the project is not damaging to any human but there is a possibility that if you feel uncomfortable with it somehow there's a chance you will somatize something due to the experience. Similar to therapy.
In addition, perhaps, religious people could be against these practices because of the conflict of beliefs, but in any case harmful. Unless they become aggressive and hurt or pursue with bad intentions someone or me to expose this. And, I can say I am using my artist card if this happens.
The stakeholders of the project are humans that work or pay for holistic practices, humans that sell products related to that, or just curious people around with interests in esoterism; and the non-humans stakeholders are the fruits and their essential oils from them that activates the performance or happening of the project.
By the same token, stakeholders that were part of the previous experiences are very into it, however, they don't work with this type of technology (sensors) I´m using to recreate the experience that we lived, so they are sort of waiting for the results to test it. And there are others that are a bit intrigued by how this machine develops its magic, and I think that the fact that I am like them (meaning having ethereal abilities) makes them trust in the experience I am designing.
The project uses limited non-human inputs (like 4 or 5 fruits), and there is a potential to increase the amount of it, even though it requires more time and research. Also, the artifact can be used for smells of plants or other non-humans.
I think that the worst-case scenario is if the information gets a bad manipulation and it generates not accurate results. Or if people get addicted to the readings of the machine. However, I think one of the objectives of the project is to start a reflection on our behavior without judgment, and probably change some actions.
After all, if this artifact becomes more pocket friendly and more accessible for daily use or as a wearable device, it definitely will manipulate the mood of people. And, what if you can choose your mood as clothes and define the person you want to feel yourself for a while and change it anytime, this can go for a Black Mirror episode.
From my point of view, I think future generations are going to be more open to spiritual movements in hybrid versions. And, in 10 years, I hope this type of artifacts or mechanisms evolved with other types of technology maintaining the spirit of the original practice. For me, this spiritual-tech movement is going to boost many fields of different holistic practices.
Finally, I think what I wouldn't like is that these types of representations become superfluous and meaningless, without actually caring about the soul of the movement.