Transcendence R&D
“The evolutionary tendency to be tribal rests on an evolutionary taste for what surpasses tribal experiences- the transcendence that humans glimpsed in altered states of consciousness that enabled them to form tribes in the first place”
When explaining the evolution of religious experiences, sociologist Emile Durkheim’s ‘effervescence’ refers to the buzz that occurs when people come together in synchronised and collective ceremonies and rituals- the experience of the sum feeling greater than its part when we become excited, feel a loss of self and identify with the group.
Our evolutionary ancestors experienced effervescence when their endorphins surged when they made music, danced and sang together. The shared intensity of these experiences eased tensions, forged bonds and paved the path for larger social groups.
Although transcendent experiences have tended to be linked to religious experience, mainstream psychology is studying them given their potential to improve mental health and human flourishing. The focus is not on the beliefs and values associated with them but their phenomenology- what they feel like: a feeling that the bodily sense of self and its boundaries are fading or dissolving and increased feelings of connection to something or some others beyond the self.
Designing transcendent experiences
Kimatica Studio draws on art, science and spirituality at the intersection of the human body, ritual performances and interactive technologies. For the last couple of years, I’ve been lead its multidisciplinary project, Transcendence Research and Performance Design that is exploring how artists can design new performative experiences that create feelings of transcendence:
what can we learn from neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry, as well as ceremonies, rituals and mystical traditions?
how can artists collaborate with therapists to apply therapeutic methods as performance design frameworks?
what embodied practices and techniques are relevant, such as breathwork, body movement, chanting, dance, light, music and sound?
how can interactive and XR technologies be used to design in-person, physical performances, as well as hybrid, physical-digital ones?
what experimental performances could test out these methods, practices, techniques and technologies?
Building a Transcendence Lab
Following the project launch and a scoping seminar at the National Gallery, we have been gathering evidence through a series of research seminars.
Therapeutic Design at King’s College London convened artists, psychiatrists and therapists to explore artistic collaborations as part of psychedelic treatments.
Embodied Design at Goldsmiths University convened practitioners in breathwork, chanting, Suffi dance amongst others to identify relevant disciplines.
Sensory Design at Greenwich University convened audiovisual artists to identify relevant techniques.
We are organising a final seminar (with another university) on Narrative Design and the potential of mixed reality technologies.
Through these seminars, we are building a community of artists, practitioners and researchers to create the next generation of transformational experiences to reimagine the future of art therapies and live performances. Stay tuned!