(2017-2018) Binaural Beats
This project was initiated in 2017 and continued until 2018, at which point it was discontinued. Through a series of experimental installations, the project traces its conceptual development from inception to termination.
1. The Beginning of the Project
Binaural beats are auditory illusions perceived when two slightly different frequencies are presented separately to each ear. These differences produce vibrations in the brain that are thought to influence mental states. By manipulating the amplitude of sounds corresponding to alpha, beta, gamma, and theta brainwaves, it is possible to induce a variety of emotional and psychological responses—from joy and sorrow to fear, euphoria, and even sexual arousal.
The project began with the idea of measuring brainwave data from people undergoing specific emotional or spiritual experiences using EEG sensors. For example, the brainwaves of Tibetan monks during deep meditation can be recorded, digitized, and then transformed into binaural beat sound patterns. This allows others to access similar states of deep inner peace without years of meditation practice.
I believed this approach could be applied to the appreciation of art, particularly abstract painting. The multi-dimensional experience that modernism demands—often requiring substantial theoretical knowledge—is usually inaccessible to the general public. However, the emotional resonance of such art could, in theory, be directly transmitted through binaural beats. Without prior education, anyone could experience the profound emotional states that certain artworks aim to provoke.
Suicide Machine (2018)
2. Development and Experiments
The project focused on whether specific emotional states could be induced in exhibition spaces.
The first experiment involved creating a visual installation that drew the attention of visitors. Once engaged, viewers were exposed to binaural beats designed to generate happiness. By pressing a single button, participants could bypass the complex and often inaccessible paths to emotional fulfillment and achieve a direct, engineered sense of joy. This experience redefined what it means to "feel" in the age of technological mediation. The work was titled Suicide Machine, referencing the existential implications of attaining emotion at the push of a button.
However, I quickly learned that the open exhibition environment was ill-suited for such a delicate sensory experience. Visitors were often distracted, and the acoustic environment prevented full immersion in the sound. This experiment revealed the necessity of isolated, private spaces for effective emotional transmission through sound.
As a second step, I created three private booths within the gallery, each designed to deliver a specific emotion: happiness, tranquility, and sexual pleasure. These controlled environments allowed for deeper engagement with the binaural beats. However, people's ability to concentrate varied significantly. For some, even these isolated spaces were insufficient.
I came to understand that the optimal conditions for emotional immersion were not public exhibitions at all—but rather the comfort of familiar personal spaces, such as one's own bed with a pair of headphones. The conclusion became clear: this was a project unsuited to traditional exhibition formats. The core contradiction lay in trying to evoke complex, layered emotional responses in a public, often chaotic gallery environment. As a result, the project was put on hold.
The Best Service (2018)
3. Conclusion
I have not completely abandoned this project. Instead, I’m waiting for more refined and accurate brainwave sensors to become available—along with more effective methods for transmitting those signals to the human brain. The current technology feels too primitive to fully realize the vision of the project.
One day, when these tools advance, I plan to return to this work with renewed focus. The dream of making profound emotional states universally accessible—beyond knowledge, training, or context—still remains.