Keywords
Description
The future engulfs us – the sound overwhelms us – hangs in the air with the cataclysm of dystopian anxiety- the noise of industry that connects all humanity separates us from the moment – in the neo-future -our past mistakes haunt us – the noise environment swallows us – the sound of it is overwhelming.
We asked ourselves how a creative application of Megamorph could help protect a wearer in the future from noise-induced anxiety. We developed our garment, Ataraxis (meaning without stress or anxiety), to serve as a way of dampening noise, communicating emotions, and soothing anxiety. Ataraxis covers the head and arms (much like a hug) and has lights (fibre optics) and a heart rate monitor in the earpiece. Ataraxis first alerts the wearer with a short vibration (on their shoulder) if their heart rate is elevated. If their heart rate continues to be elevated, it then switches to a four-second timed breathing pattern to help calm the wearer. Ataraxis also has the option of selecting colours/patterns of feelings (happiness (white), anger (reds), sadness (blues), and anxiety/fear (greens) to communicate feelings to others. The wool material selected for this project would be made from is both sustainable and noise-dampening.
In the future, we imagine personalized visual symbols can be created with AI-generated imagery (as shown in our video) and shared with other users. Ataraxis allows the wearer to express the inexpressible, engaging with the people around them without verbal communication. The visuals are also meant to transform the emotional experience calming the wearer. Our idea is that in the future, biofeedback could be measured in an app that allows users to be aware of their emotions and share with others (i.e., social connections and/or health professionals) so the sound becomes less overwhelming.
