Resonance: Meditative Neural Rhythms as Collective Spatial Experience
Ruipeng Wang, Y. Cheng, Zhiyan Xing, Behnaz Farahi
Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques June 29, 2026 DOI: 10.1145/3816079 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that bio-responsive environments can actively participate in shaping attention and awareness, and that shifting neurofeedback from individual interaction to immersive spatial media transforms meditation into a shared, spectator-centered experience. |
Abstract
Resonance is an interactive installation that externalizes meditation as collective spatial experience by translating a meditator’s neural rhythms into water, vibration, and light. Real-time EEG data modulates vibration within a suspended water vessel, generating wave patterns whose refracted caustics are projected across the surrounding architecture. Rather than visualizing cognition as abstract data, the system situates neural activity within physical matter and immersive space, forming an embodied relationship between mind, matter, and architecture. Grounded in theories of extended cognition, Resonance proposes that bio-responsive environments can actively participate in shaping attention and awareness. By shifting neurofeedback from individual interaction to immersive spatial media, this work transforms meditation from a solitary practice into a phenomenon that surrounds and immerses the audience. The project synthesizes meditation traditions, fluid mechanics, and computational design, contributing a spectator-centered model of bio-responsive design where cognition is encountered not as private feedback but as shared experience. Through this synthesis, Resonance expands interactive media toward embodied presence and shared contemplative experience, allowing inner states to be sensed collectively.