Sensory Deprivation & Overstimulation Helmet, 2015 & 2017
22in x 22in x 22in
Birch plywood, cloth, sound dampening material
Birch plywood, speaker, screen, mirrors
The Sensory Deprivation Helmet is a device that can be placed over the user's head to deprive them of their senses. The helmet was inspired by sensory deprivation chambers that would inhibit a person of all their senses. My intention was to develop a personalized version of the sensory deprivation chamber that could be used anywhere as an escape from reality and deprive their body of any external sensory input. With this helmet, the user hinders their body’s ability see, hear, taste, and smell.
The Overstimulation Helmet is an immersive media device that helps the user dissociate from the present and immerse themselves into another environment. While inside the helmet, the user will watch a looped film that is reflected into infinity by the use of four mirrors on the sides of the display. With prolonged exposure, the user will become over stimulated by the sensory input to the point of cognitive dissociation and desensitization to the material and subject matter of the film and must exit the helmet in order to regain normal conscious thought.
Example imagery:
