vpro medialab and studio nick verstand | digital empathy
these days, to say one has merely seen an artwork seems largely insufficient in light of the new and innovative ways that artists are integrating technology into their designs. in fact, it increasingly feels appropriate to say that one has experienced an artwork. this is the premise that underlies our approach to event design - our guests are not merely spectators or attendees and our concern lies in the way they experience and interact with spaces. vpro medialab and studio nick verstand’s project ‘we know how you feel’ perfectly demonstrates this idea and is consequently an intriguing project to gain inspiration from.
it all speaks to the new trend called ‘digital empathy’ which highlights a new channel of communication between technology and humans that has until now, been arguably unemotional. vpro medialab and studio nick verstand evoke digital empathy in ‘aura’; an interactive, audiovisual installation that translates people’s emotions into beams of colour. this innovative feature shows how technology, which is generally associated with “artificial” and not “emotional” intelligence, can be used toward empathetic ends. using biosensors that measure emotion by reading brainwaves, heart rate and skin responses, the work visually demonstrates a person’s mood as organic light compositions.