On June 16, in collaboration with Superblue and MYND, and on the occasion of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s installation Pulse Topology opening at Design Miami/ Basel 2022, Therme Art presented the talk Invisible Symphonies: Healing Through Participatory Art and Human-Centred Technologies.

June 16, 2022 | Invisible Symphonies: Healing Through Participatory Art and Human-Centred Technologies. The discussion drew inspiration from Lozano-Hemmer’s installation as it created a platform to exhibit people’s most symbolic biorhythm: their heartbeat. What happens when our pulse becomes tangible through art? Gathering artists from a diverse set of visual practices, this iteration of Therme’s Wellbeing Culture Forum explored the spatial strategies that can be utilised within art, architecture, and technology to support mental and physical wellbeing.

The panel started with a guided meditation by Tatiana Kranz, Co-Founder of Yoga Futura, utilising Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse Topology installation to showcase the physical effects of meditation on the body. Therme Art’s CEO & Founder Mikolaj Sekutowicz stood under the installation, allowing the artwork’s heart-rate sensors to interact with his biometric data, resulting in an audiovisual experience displayed through the installation’s 3,000 filament light bulbs.

From left: Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Founder and CEO of Therme Art; Sveta Mordovskaya, Artist; Simon Denny, Artist; James Bantone, Artist; Brandon Ndife, Artist; Stephanie Comilang, Artist; Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Artist; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine

Mikolaj Sekutowicz during the meditation led by Tatiana Kranz

Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer speaking at Invisible Symphonies

Breathing and heart function play a crucial role in our quality of wellbeing. When we approach the breath with focus and extend our exhalations, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down our heart rate, reduces stress levels, and promotes bodily health over time.  Lozano-Hemmer’s intuitive light installation illuminates this central process of life and opens up conversations about the roles of art, science, and sustainable technologies in creating healing spaces that highlight the invisible mechanisms that keep our bodies alive.

“I think we are all humbled by the sound of the heartbeat as the very first sound that we hear in our mother’s heartbeat. Then we hear our own. And you know, when you’re presenting a piece like this, to me, what matters is that you hear it in concert.” — Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Artist Stephanie Comilang speaking at Invisible Symphonies

Gathering artists who work with technology and new media, Invisible Symphonies: Healing Through Participatory Art and Human-Centred Technologies investigated how awareness of the body’s physiological functions can enable widespread rejuvenation and mental healing. Using Pulse Topology as a point of departure, the talk explored how art, architecture, and sustainable technologies can support mental and physical regenerative processes.

“The way that I use technology is I try and look at it as a tool for me to create more of humanistic way of connection.” — Artist Stephanie Comilang

Artist Brandon Ndife speaking at Invisible Symphonies

“The technology that a lot of people rely on is a service, a public service… So their technology is not actually owned by them. They might be contributing to it in the cycle of ‘life in capitalism’… but the technologies of life often are more like survival tactics. And so when we think about a future or an alternative lifestyle, it has to be spearheaded by those in power already.” — Artist Brandon Ndife

Artist Simon Denny speaking at Invisible Symphonies

“Maybe it’s also about considering what gets categorised as technological… who gets to claim the technological and what is technology? And also, what is included in nature?” — Artist Simon Denny

“For me, as a good friend would say, the Internet is kind of like a portal to a different world of possibilities. And it’s very interesting because you can go very fast to a different world or galaxies and it’s very exciting as well.” — Artist James Bantone

Panellists:

Brandon Ndife, Artist
James Bantone, Artist
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Artist
Simon Denny, Artist
Stephanie Comilang, Artist
Sveta Mordovskaya, Artist

Co-Moderators:

Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine
Mikolaj Sekutowicz, CEO and Co-Founder, Therme Art

Wellbeing Activation:

As part of the reception, the programme included a sequence of breathwork practices and healing movement sessions led by Co-Founder of Yoga Futura Tatiana Kranz, in which the audience was guided through a string of accessible movements used in traditional yoga practices to create space for somatic engagement and mental clarity. Each lesson was accompanied by a topic, providing an anchor for self-grounding.

Programme:

11.00AM – 11:15AM CET | Breathwork Meditation

Sequence of Healing Movements and Meditation Session with Tatiana Kranz, certified yoga and meditation teacher, Yoga Futura. Tatiana Kranz will guide participants through breathwork practices and gentle, repetitive movements of the body, creating space for somatic engagement and mental clarity. Each lesson is accompanied by a topic, providing an anchor for self-grounding.

12.30PM – 12.45PM CET | Wellbeing Culture Forum

Invisible Symphonies: Healing Through Participatory Art and Human-Centred Technologies


All images are courtesy of Alejandro Chavarria / World Red Eye.