Textiles made with heart rhythms

Like music, we are made up of vibrations. If we look at the heart, we each create our unique rhythm rooted in our chest. This Rhythm is constantly changing and simultaneously, we are constantly changing. Influenced by our surroundings, the movement of natural cycles and our inner processes. At the same time we influence the rhythms and frequencies of others and thus of the whole.

Like a complex tapestry, our heart rhythms are woven and intertwined. Together creating a multidimensional and ever changing tapestry of mankind.

In this project we have made this invisible ’tissue’ tangible. Exploring a way to translate these defining frequencies by translating them into shapes which are eventually captured in textiles. The result of this research has led to a new technique in which various patterns in the human heart rhythm are translated into generated textile prints. By using sensor technology, we are able to generate unique and very varied prints, by means of a heart rhythm recording of 15 minutes.

Hereby creating a ritual that invites the person to become part of the artwork while intuitively connecting to their own heart rhythm. This research project has now evolved into the ritualistic project Totem. Here we use the technique in a new rite to mark transformation, creating symbolic objects connected to a person’s inner realm.

This project was made in collaboration with Beer van Geer and Stichting Ademruimte and made possible by Gemeente Den Haag