Inward to outward

Abstract

This is me, my hair, my lip, my smell, the way my head moves and the body I live in. The sense of self is not fixed but continuously updates in response to the present information. When the body senses itself internally and localizes its actions, it provides the basis for a material sense of self existence. At the same time, the mind registers the sense of an agency with free will, the sense of being, the cause of voluntary action. The present self continuously becomes the past, and by the time we look into it we are in another present, consumed with planning the future. This thesis describes my theory and practice that concerns the sense of self. Two projects, Being A Tree and Masque, are included as examples of altering the perception of self through multisensory stimulation of exteroceptive signals and false feedback of interoceptive signals. Through these two systems, I aim to provide the audience a new, though temporary, relationship with themselves. This thesis incorporates my technical contribution in human computer interaction as well as my artistic inquiry. The goal is to reconfigure the tools of technology, not for exploitation but for the recovery of human feelings, affects and emotions. I hope the thesis delivers more than just the systems and study data. This thesis is about the moments of self-(re)organization and creating ripples in the fabric of self. It pays close attention to our shared psychological, emotional, cultural, and perceptual approaches to the inner and outer world and tries to bring light back to the sensitivity of self.