HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF SANE?

Format: Wearable Bio-art Installation
Skills: Art Direction, Cross-Media Design, Product Design, Fashion Design, Knitting, Sound Design, Visual Storytelling, Coding

Technical Setup Summary
Input: Plant bio-signal (capacitance-based)
Sensor: Conductive threads & metal clips 
Microcontroller: Arduino Nano
Output: Real-time ambient soundscape
Sound modulation: Custom patch (Pure Data/Max/MSP)
Year: 2024

“How do you keep yourself sane?”

In an environment saturated with noise—traffic, alarms, constant digital inputs—moments of mental clarity are rare. This project responds to a simple yet pressing question: how can we reclaim a sense of peace in the midst of continuous external disruption?

The Singing Plant Headpiece, detects subtle bio-signals through conductive threads and metal clips attached to the plant. These signals are interpreted in real time by a programmed microcircuit and transformed into ‘live’ sound. The bioelectric responses are mapped using capacitance data, which is then translated into ambient audio frequencies via a microcontroller interface.

By listening to real-time music from the plant while wearing the headpiece, one can own the sound of peace metaphorically whilst being the root of the microenvironment.

     The dress features graphics developed through cymatics—visual patterns generated by playing specific sound frequencies such as
     396 Hz, 432 Hz, 528 Hz, and 639 Hz. Each pattern was formed by translating these frequencies into visual language, 
     then embedded into the garment as a symbolic expression of sensory calm.
     The accompanying headband serves a functional role: it is designed to reduce sleep-disrupting noise.
     Combined with custom-moulded earplugs, it offers a sensorial response to
     sound-related insomnia by creating a quiet, enclosed space for rest.

    Context Book, 48pages