Visualizing collective experience of fright

Rarely are we conscious of subtle fluctuations in our internal states, yet our biosignals can convey multitudes about our ourselves and others. In our Halloween-themed monthly public event, we created a social experience at the intersection of wearable tech, costume design, horror narratives, biosensors, and virtual reality. We introduced participants to wiring hardware for jellyfish costumes. Each participant’s jellyfish tentacles pulsed to their heartbeat to achieve a “bioluminescent” effect. We connected every participant to each other, creating a network that mapped heartbeats as we played horror VR games and watched scary movies in VR. Using long-exposure photography, we illuminated the otherwise internal affect of fright buildup during a shared scary experience.

Partnership

The Harvard AR/VR Club collaborated with the Conflux Collective