Return to Nature: How media art heals?

This paper contextualises developments in media art and electronic visualisation with the ‘Consciousness Hacking’ movement, and the potential for technology to improve psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The narrow focus of attention demanded by many contemporary media devices, such as smart phones and some immersive technologies, may be harmful to cognitive functioning and emotion regulation. These technologies are arguably a distraction that diminishes our natural capacity for rich sensory experience. Conversely, artists and researchers have experimented with new media in an attempt to challenge and engage our sensory experience, in order to re-connect us to nature. Trials comparing simulated natural environments with actual nature are reviewed within the context of their potential to restore attention. Do multi-sensory media artworks and visualisations re-connect us with the natural world, or remove us further from it? The potential benefits of technology are assessed as a tool for ecotherapy in mediated environments and for new models of mental healthcare and wellbeing. Comparison is made between ‘Cyberdelics’ virtual applications, which may narrow or distract the focus of attention, and works using more natural systems, which engage with the periphery and interconnectedness of the senses. The interventions are assessed in their efficacy to affect change in psychological and physiological states, and as a non-pharmacological enhancement with therapeutic applications. Transformation and healing is possible when media art and technology are created and disseminated with mindful intention.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Tony Langford

Conference

Publication date: July 2019

Publication date (Print): July 2019

Pages: 394-401

Affiliations

[0001]Fovolab

Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVA2019.73

SO-VID: fe355ed8-b9c0-4f4a-a3c1-b4f53a43e07d

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Proceedings of EVA London 2019

Conference acronym: EVA 2019

Conference number:

Conference location: London, UK

Conference date: 8 - 11 July 2019

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts

History

Product

1477-9358 BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/EVA2019.73

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

REFERENCES

I. AlcockM. P. WhiteB. Wheeler W L. E. FlemingM. H. Depledge 2014 Longitudinal effects on mental health of moving to greener and less green urban areas Environ. Sci. Technol 48 1247 1255
M. Almena 2018 Transcendence: Can live performance art in combination with interactive technology induce altered states of consciousness? Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 195 202 BCS London
M. AnnerstedtP. JönssonM. WallergårdG. JohanssonB. KarlsonP. GrahnA.M. HansenP. Währborg 2013 Inducing physiological stress recovery with sounds of nature in a virtual reality forest Physiology & Behavior 118 240 250
F. S. BarrettK. PrellerM. Kaelen 2018 Psychedelics and music: neuroscience and therapeutic implications International Review of Psychiatry 30 8):1 13
R. Berto 2005 Exposure to restorative environments helps restore attentional capacity Journal of Environmental Psychology 25 3 249 259
K. M. M. BeyerA. KaltenbachA. SzaboS. BogarF. J. NietoK. M. Malecki 2014 Exposure to neighbourhood green space and mental health: Evidence from the survey of the health of Wisconsin Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 11 3453 3472
R. L. Carhart-Harris et al 2016 Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging
Y. A. W. de KortA. L. MeijndersA. A. G. SponseleeW.A. IJsselsteijn 2006 What’s wrong with virtual trees? Restoring from stress in a mediated environment Journal of Environmental Psychology 26 309 320
L. Haill 2013 ICT & Art Connect: Revelations by Flicker, Dreamachines and Electroencephalographic signals in art Goldsmiths
W. HasenkampL. Barsalou Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 6 2012)
D. Holger 2018 This ‘Sensory Reality Pod’ Will Make You Feel VR https://vrscout.com/news/sensory-reality-pod-feel-vr retrieved 5 Mar 2019 )
H. Jenny 2001 Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena & Vibration MACROmedia Publishing
P. Kahn 2011 Technological Nature: Adaptation and the Future of Human Life MIT Press
R. KaplanS. Kaplan 1989 The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective Cambridge University Press New York
S. Kaplan 1995 The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework Journal of Environmental Psychology,15 3 169 182
Kinetica Museum 2019 http://www.kinetica-museum.org retrieved 1 March 2019 )
A. KjellgrenH. Buhrkall 2010 A comparison of the restorative effect of a natural environment with that of a simulated natural environment Journal of Environmental Psychology 30 4 464 472
M. KuoM. BarnesC. Jordan 2019 Do Experiences With Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of a Cause-and-Effect Relationship Frontiers in Psychology 10
R. LaatarH. KachouriR. BorjiH. RebaiS. Sahli 2017 The effect of cell phone use on postural balance and mobility in older compared to young adults Physiology & Behavior 173 293 297
T. LangfordA. BurleighN. RutaR. Pepperell 2018 New immersive media to broaden attention and awareness Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 323 330 BCS London
J. LimS.H. ChangJ. LeeK. Kim 2017 Effects of smartphone texting on the visual perception and dynamic walking stability Journal of exercise rehabilitation 13 1 48
J. Loke Hale 2018 I Meditated In Virtual Reality & It Literally Took Me To Another Place https://www.bustle.com/p/i-meditated-in-virtual-reality-it-literally-took-me-to-another-place-9869860 retrieved 14 Mar 2019 )
I. McGilchrist 2012 The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
F. Palhano-FontesD. BarretoH. OniasK. AndradeM. NovaesJ. PessoaD. Araújo 2019 Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: A randomized placebo-controlled trial Psychological Medicine 49 4 655 663
R. PepperellA. BurleighN. RutaT. Langford 2019 Fovo – a Flexible Realtime Computer Graphics Rendering Process Electronic Visualisation in the Arts 2019
R. PepperellM. Haertel 2014 Do artists use linear perspective to depict visual space? Perception 43 5 395 416
S. Porges 2009 The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system Cleve Clin J Med 76 Suppl 2 S86 S90
M. J. RossP. GuthrieJ. C. Dumont 2013 The impact of modulated, coloured light on the autonomic nervous system Adv Mind Body Med 27 4): 7 16
T. Russell 2017 #What Is Mindfulness? Watkins London
D. Rushkoff 2019 Team Human W.W. Norton & Company New York
D. Schwartzman 2015 EEG Functional Connectivity and Phenomenology of Induced Dissociative States University of Sussex
G. Segreto 2019 Review – We Live in an Ocean of Air by Marshmallow Laser Feast at Saatchi Gallery https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/review-we-live-in-an-ocean-of-air-by-marshmallow-laser-feast-at-saatchi-gallery retrieved 5 Mar 2019 )
M. SiegelG. Gwyn 2016 The Frontier of Consciousness Hacking http://www.cohack.life/posts/happenings-at-the-frontier-of-consciousness-hacking retrieved 14 Jan 2019 )
Sjollema and Brada 2017 Wild Dolphin Virtual Reality, a drug-free medicine https://thedolphinswimclub.com/medical-vr/casestudies-medical-vr retrieved 14 Mar 2019 )
C. H. SmithJ. RasoolN. LambertR. PepperellT. LangfordL. KorkovelouA. Burleigh 2017 Natural Media Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 258 263 BCS London
S. Thomas 2013 Technobiophilia: Nature and Cyberspace Bloomsbury Academic London
C. W. ThompsonJ. RoeP. AspinallR. MitchellA. ClowD. Miller 2012 More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: evidence from salivary cortisol patterns Landscape Urban Plann 105 221 229
L. R. ValmaggiaL. LatifM.J. KemptonM. Rus-Calafell 2016 Virtual Reality in the Psychological Treatment for Mental Health Problems: An Systematic Review of Recent Evidence Psychiatry Research 236 189 95
M. P. WhiteN. L. YeoP. VassiljevR. LundstedtM. WallergårdM. AlbinM. Löhmus 2018 A prescription for "nature" – the potential of using virtual nature in therapeutics Neuropsychiatrie disease and treatment 14 3001 3013
H. H. WilmerL. E. ShermanJ. M. Chein 2017 Smartphones and Cognition: A review of research exploring the links between mobile technology habits and cognitive functioning Frontiers in Psychology 8
E. O. Wilson 1984 Biophilia Harvard University Press Cambridge

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] I. AlcockM. P. WhiteB. Wheeler W L. E. FlemingM. H. Depledge 2014 Longitudinal effects on mental health of moving to greener and less green urban areas Environ. Sci. Technol 48 1247 1255

[2] M. Almena 2018 Transcendence: Can live performance art in combination with interactive technology induce altered states of consciousness? Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 195 202 BCS London

[3] M. AnnerstedtP. JönssonM. WallergårdG. JohanssonB. KarlsonP. GrahnA.M. HansenP. Währborg 2013 Inducing physiological stress recovery with sounds of nature in a virtual reality forest Physiology & Behavior 118 240 250

[4] F. S. BarrettK. PrellerM. Kaelen 2018 Psychedelics and music: neuroscience and therapeutic implications International Review of Psychiatry 30 8):1 13

[5] R. Berto 2005 Exposure to restorative environments helps restore attentional capacity Journal of Environmental Psychology 25 3 249 259

[6] K. M. M. BeyerA. KaltenbachA. SzaboS. BogarF. J. NietoK. M. Malecki 2014 Exposure to neighbourhood green space and mental health: Evidence from the survey of the health of Wisconsin Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 11 3453 3472

[7] R. L. Carhart-Harris et al 2016 Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging

[8] Y. A. W. de KortA. L. MeijndersA. A. G. SponseleeW.A. IJsselsteijn 2006 What’s wrong with virtual trees? Restoring from stress in a mediated environment Journal of Environmental Psychology 26 309 320

[9] L. Haill 2013 ICT & Art Connect: Revelations by Flicker, Dreamachines and Electroencephalographic signals in art Goldsmiths

[10] W. HasenkampL. Barsalou Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 6 2012)

[11] D. Holger 2018 This ‘Sensory Reality Pod’ Will Make You Feel VR https://vrscout.com/news/sensory-reality-pod-feel-vr retrieved 5 Mar 2019 )

[12] H. Jenny 2001 Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena & Vibration MACROmedia Publishing

[13] P. Kahn 2011 Technological Nature: Adaptation and the Future of Human Life MIT Press

[14] R. KaplanS. Kaplan 1989 The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective Cambridge University Press New York

[15] S. Kaplan 1995 The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework Journal of Environmental Psychology,15 3 169 182

[16] Kinetica Museum 2019 http://www.kinetica-museum.org retrieved 1 March 2019 )

[17] A. KjellgrenH. Buhrkall 2010 A comparison of the restorative effect of a natural environment with that of a simulated natural environment Journal of Environmental Psychology 30 4 464 472

[18] M. KuoM. BarnesC. Jordan 2019 Do Experiences With Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of a Cause-and-Effect Relationship Frontiers in Psychology 10

[19] R. LaatarH. KachouriR. BorjiH. RebaiS. Sahli 2017 The effect of cell phone use on postural balance and mobility in older compared to young adults Physiology & Behavior 173 293 297

[20] T. LangfordA. BurleighN. RutaR. Pepperell 2018 New immersive media to broaden attention and awareness Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 323 330 BCS London

[21] J. LimS.H. ChangJ. LeeK. Kim 2017 Effects of smartphone texting on the visual perception and dynamic walking stability Journal of exercise rehabilitation 13 1 48

[22] J. Loke Hale 2018 I Meditated In Virtual Reality & It Literally Took Me To Another Place https://www.bustle.com/p/i-meditated-in-virtual-reality-it-literally-took-me-to-another-place-9869860 retrieved 14 Mar 2019 )

[23] I. McGilchrist 2012 The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World

[24] F. Palhano-FontesD. BarretoH. OniasK. AndradeM. NovaesJ. PessoaD. Araújo 2019 Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: A randomized placebo-controlled trial Psychological Medicine 49 4 655 663

[25] R. PepperellA. BurleighN. RutaT. Langford 2019 Fovo – a Flexible Realtime Computer Graphics Rendering Process Electronic Visualisation in the Arts 2019

[26] R. PepperellM. Haertel 2014 Do artists use linear perspective to depict visual space? Perception 43 5 395 416

[27] S. Porges 2009 The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system Cleve Clin J Med 76 Suppl 2 S86 S90

[28] M. J. RossP. GuthrieJ. C. Dumont 2013 The impact of modulated, coloured light on the autonomic nervous system Adv Mind Body Med 27 4): 7 16

[29] T. Russell 2017 #What Is Mindfulness? Watkins London

[30] D. Rushkoff 2019 Team Human W.W. Norton & Company New York

[31] D. Schwartzman 2015 EEG Functional Connectivity and Phenomenology of Induced Dissociative States University of Sussex

[32] G. Segreto 2019 Review – We Live in an Ocean of Air by Marshmallow Laser Feast at Saatchi Gallery https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/review-we-live-in-an-ocean-of-air-by-marshmallow-laser-feast-at-saatchi-gallery retrieved 5 Mar 2019 )

[33] M. SiegelG. Gwyn 2016 The Frontier of Consciousness Hacking http://www.cohack.life/posts/happenings-at-the-frontier-of-consciousness-hacking retrieved 14 Jan 2019 )

[34] Sjollema and Brada 2017 Wild Dolphin Virtual Reality, a drug-free medicine https://thedolphinswimclub.com/medical-vr/casestudies-medical-vr retrieved 14 Mar 2019 )

[35] C. H. SmithJ. RasoolN. LambertR. PepperellT. LangfordL. KorkovelouA. Burleigh 2017 Natural Media Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 258 263 BCS London

[36] S. Thomas 2013 Technobiophilia: Nature and Cyberspace Bloomsbury Academic London

[37] C. W. ThompsonJ. RoeP. AspinallR. MitchellA. ClowD. Miller 2012 More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: evidence from salivary cortisol patterns Landscape Urban Plann 105 221 229

[38] L. R. ValmaggiaL. LatifM.J. KemptonM. Rus-Calafell 2016 Virtual Reality in the Psychological Treatment for Mental Health Problems: An Systematic Review of Recent Evidence Psychiatry Research 236 189 95

[39] M. P. WhiteN. L. YeoP. VassiljevR. LundstedtM. WallergårdM. AlbinM. Löhmus 2018 A prescription for "nature" – the potential of using virtual nature in therapeutics Neuropsychiatrie disease and treatment 14 3001 3013

[40] H. H. WilmerL. E. ShermanJ. M. Chein 2017 Smartphones and Cognition: A review of research exploring the links between mobile technology habits and cognitive functioning Frontiers in Psychology 8

[41] E. O. Wilson 1984 Biophilia Harvard University Press Cambridge

Studying business & IT? Drive your professional career forwards with BCS books - for a 20% discount click here: shop.bcs.org