Cymbiotica

Sound is often reduced to the notion that it is simply something we hear – something that makes noise. But in pure physics terms, sound is just a vibration going through matter. The idea that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration validates the belief that sound, in essence, is everything.

Cymatics is the study of how sonic vibration manifests through different mediums. In recent years, studies of cymatics have revealed that specific vibrations manifest specific shapes. These unique shapes are often symmetrical, geometric symbols which ascend in complexity as the consonant vibration increases. Emerging research has paved the way for a multitude of new applications for cymatics, in particular the potential for it to be used as a method to understand and interpret more foreign forms of data. This design research will attempt to successfully observe and convert brain signals to visual sonic vibrations to determine if cymatics could be used as a visual feedback tool to aid in meditation and mindfulness practices. Using current consumer-level Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) such as the Emotiv Insight, differentiation between brain wave states can be determined during Focus-Attention Meditation (FAM), then captured and processed using open-source software. The resulting sonic signals would then be made visible using a rudimentary cymatic imaging device. Finally, the visual sound data would create a real-time visual neurofeedback (NFB) stream for the participant. Ultimately, the intended outcome of this research would be to show how NFB in the form of Cymatics could improve FAM.