Trāṭaka

by Alessio Chierico

„Trāṭaka“ is an interactive installation based on a brain-computer interface.

„Trāṭaka“ is a Sanskrit term which means to gaze. It refers to a meditation technique that involves focusing one’s attention on a small object or, more commonly, on a flame.

This installation consists of a device that detects brain parameters such as the level of attention. The user has to put it on and is then asked to concentrate his attention on a flame placed in front of him or her. The level of attention which this system detects controls a current of air that is located under the flame. If the user succeeds in sufficiently increasing his attention the flame is extinguished.

This work creates a conceptual loop:

On the one hand the flame helps the user to get into a meditative mood, and that stimulates the brain chakra. On the other hand the flame provides feedback which shows the brain activity in real time.

Trāṭaka त्राटक – flame controlled by a brain computer interface from Alessio Chierico on Vimeo.