The Museum of Consciousness: Interactive, audio-based exhibits for cultivating altered states of consciousness
Carl Smith, Kenneth Shinozuka, Alex T. Zhao, Michael Ronen
Electronic workshops in computing July 1, 2021 DOI: 10.14236/ewic/eva2021.55 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | placebo highs sound journeys novel modes of introspection |
| Topics | Meditation Altered states of consciousness |
| Keywords | Consciousness Introspection Exhibition Expansive Altered state Aesthetics Visual arts Cognitive psychology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | The museum uses audio samples and interactive rating to explore and augment consciousness. |
Abstract
The Museum of Consciousness contains exhibits by a multitude of artists, mavericks and consciousness explorers who are here to transmit their most treasured work: For the first exhibition we decided to use short, audio-based samples that are designed to cultivate and manufacture expansive states of consciousness. The range of samples encompassed by the current iteration of the museum includes mindfulness meditations, “placebo highs,” sound journeys, novel modes of introspection, and more. The structure of the museum is centered around recipes for consciousness augmentation. The museum also has an interactive component: visitors will rate the samples according to Raph Milliere’s 6D model of self-consciousness, which was inspired by the effects of psychedelics and meditation on subjective experience. Additionally, visitors will play a game in which they try to figure out the ratings that the curators had pre-assigned to the samples. Finally, visitors will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the artists, as part of the cyclically regenerative system at the heart of the museum.