Nomophobia

Collaborate with Harry Ma, Shaye Thiel, Katie Weitzman

Nomophobia is “A psychological condition when people have a fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity.”

We are investigating how the relationship between technology and haptic response can distract humanity from living in the present moment.

Intention

Through collaboration between haptic technology and film, the audience will experience subtle haptic responses beneath their feet while actively engaging in a ten-minute film in front of them. The audience will be asked to store their devices prior to entering the exhibition space and will be unaware of the haptic floor mats. The floor will be equipped with floor mats that mimic the sensation of a mobile device and will be randomly activated throughout the film.

The film will poetically respond to the relationship between the human body and the notion of distraction within everyday life. The audience will have the opportunity to insert themselves into the work by interrupting the projected film.

Component Responsibility

Film

Intended to ground the participant and encourage them to engage with the mundane and typically overlooked elements of the everyday, while traveling. Visuals scroll within 8-10 seconds, replicating the human attention span while leaving the participant on cliffhangers to imitate the Zeigarnik Effect, a theory that humans remember interrupted tasks in more detail.

Two Screen Display

Representation of the starting and ending point of a journey.

Grayscale

A proven tool to reduce technology addiction and make the visible more visible.

Sound

Providing guided breathwork from a leading practitioner, combined with pinging sounds and 40hz binaural beats proven to increase concentration.

Haptic Feedback

Intended to disorient the participant by questioning if it is their phone

Collective viewing

Mimic the setting of public transportation, sitting close together on a single platform.

Smell

Peppermint is proven to increase concentration and alertness.

REFERENCES

Breathwork practitioner: Aimée Buchler

Academic

The Body Keeps the Score (2014) - Bessel van der Kolk
Self-Determination Theory (2017) - Richard M. Ryan
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and

The Business of Keeping Us Hooked (2017) - Adam Atler
Huberman Labs- binaural beat research
Sandhya Basu & Bidisha Banerjee - binaural beat

research
Christine Beauchene, Nicole Abaid, Rosalyn Moran,

Rachel A Diana, Alexander Leonessa- binaural beat

research
Miguel Garcia-Argibay, Miguel A Santed, José M

Reales- binaural beat research

Artistic

The Marina Abramovic Method
Carsten Holler: Lisbon Dots
Douglas Gordon
After Yang
Radical Slowness, Anna May Kirk and Tai Mitsuji
Dean Cross: The First Second, 2019
John Cage, Inc. Silence: Lectures and Writings
Luc Ferrari, Inc. Almost Nothing with Luc Ferrari:

Interviews

Artworks

Nomophobia

Intention

Component Responsibility