Single-Plural Body

The Inquiry: From Individual to Collective

This project represents the next phase of my research trajectory, extending the findings of Pulse Now. While the previous work examined how an individual connects to a planetary rhythm, Single-Plural Body shifts the scale outward, asking: how can a gathering of strangers, entering as separate bodies, briefly function as a single, shared organism?

The Interface: The Well

At the center of the installation sits a wide, low circular well, an architectural archetype of gathering and transition. Here, the well functions not as a passive object, but as a listening interface. It investigates "Emergent Coherence": can a technological environment induce social synchrony, shared breath, stillness, and micro-movement, without explicit instruction?

The Feedback Loop

The installation acts as a mirror for group dynamics.

Incoherence: When the group is restless, fragmented, or dissonant, the visual environment inside the well remains turbulent and chaotic.

Attunement: As the group settles into shared stillness or rhythmic breathing, the visual field organizes into a synchronized pattern. This creates a subtle feedback loop: the group sees their collective state formed in real-time, encouraging them to maintain the coherence.

Proposed System Logic

The installation operates as a multi-user instrument that listens to the "negative space" between bodies. Instead of tracking individuals via surveillance, a Distributed Sensing Array embedded in the perimeter seating aggregates distinct inputs, occupancy, movement density, micro-vibrations, and proximity, into a single collective value.

The "Breathing" Algorithm

The computational core (TouchDesigner) runs a behavior model based on Swarm Logic. It scans for "Thresholds of Coherence", moments when individual noises harmonize into a collective pattern. The system continuously asks: Is this a collection of individuals, or is it a cohesive group?

Prototype & Research Phase

During the conceptual development phase, key challenges addressed included:

1. Interaction Design: Defining the mapping between "crowd density" and audiovisual generation.
2. Architectural Simulation: Testing the scale and ergonomics of the circular seating.
3. Sensor Strategy: Evaluating non-invasive sensing technologies (capacitive vs. optical) to detect subtle human presence.

Exhibition

Exhibited in Five Gazes Backwards, Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, 29 April – 4 July 2026. Curated by Noga Litman and Inbal Reuven, in collaboration with the Edmond de Rothschild Center.