The inflatable sculptures by artist Marlot Meyer are large, colourful and they offer visitors a playful introduction to the topics of the brain, neural networks, human communication, and embodied body awareness. At the heart of the installation are complex, wearable "balloons", each representing one neuron. As soon as a visitor interacts with a sculpture, they become active elements of a living neural network: Their breathing, movements, and sound signals become part of their interaction with other visitors.

The interactions of the visitors are translated by technology: The rate and intensity of their breathing are converted into directional sound waves that are captured by a "listener" with a microphone and translates in turn into electrical impulses. Flexible electrodes on the visitors’ hands let the other person feel these impulses. The result is a multi-sensory communication system, as the visitors do not only perceive the signals given off by their peers, but can even feel the rate of their breathing on their bodies - but only if their bodies are aligned with the directional sound waves transmitted by the other person.

At the center of the exhibit, a water-filled sculpture represents the "central neuron" of the installation. The audio signals given off by the visitors control a subwoofer speaker that creates standing waves on the water’s surface, making the network’s collective activity visible.

Flexible wearables turn bioelectronics into a tangible experience

The immersive experience is made possible through flexible wearables developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM. The Institute’s working group "Technologies for Bioelectronics" works on flexible neural interfaces that can be used as an alternative or addition to pharmaceutical therapies for the nervous system. Bioelectronic systems like those developed by the researchers are already being used, for example, in cochlear implants, where sound is converted into electrical signals that are then transmitted directly to the nervous system to restore lost sensory functions.

In their day-to-day work, the researchers are working on so-called cuff electrodes made from biocompatible materials like polyurethane. These cuffs are implanted directly on the nerves, and the flexible polymers are made from adapt particularly well to biological tissue for a more comfortable experience. In addition to stimulating nerves with electricity, the researchers are exploring the effect of ultrasound on activating the nervous system, as high-frequency ultrasound waves can specifically influence nerve cells.

For the interdisciplinary Somatic Circuits project, the team has adapted its technology to make it work non-invasively for the first time - directly on the wearer’s skin. This makes their important medical technology research and its applications more accessible to the wider public.

Experiencing neural communication with all senses

The installation uses a basic principle of how nerves transmit information: in the human nervous system, communication is multimodal - electrically via action potentials and chemically via neurotransmitters. Somatic Circuits brings this principle into the exhibition and combines electrical, acoustic, and ultrasound signals in one shared experience.

Co-creating the installation

Media artist Marlot Meyer believes: "Art and science often take different directions in their unique ways of working. Harmony and mutual comprehension are not always part for the course. This makes it only more exciting when both fields come together as partners to go down new paths together."

The project is unique for its close partnership between the researchers, the artist, and the curator. The installation was born from all sides engaging with each other in workshops, visiting each other in the lab or the studio, or conducting experiments together. This approach reflects the core themes of the project: communication, connection, and collective interaction. As both sides ‘clicked‘, an installation was born that is both technologically sophisticated and an aesthetic and engaging experience for all senses.

The project wants to share insights about bioelectronics, alleviate people’s worries and reservations, and open up new vistas for how the body, technology, and society can interact. The exhibition is meant for anybody interested in and open to art and science, including people from industry and academia. Somatic Circuits is Fraunhofer IZM’s, Marlot Meyer’s, and the gallery Art Claims Impulse’s contribution to art and science communication, a creative window into the world of bioelectronics and a way for people to explore and experience the natural sciences in a multi-sensory, interactive form. The project is supported by the Fraunhofer network for "Science, Art, and Design (WKD) ".

(Text: Lotta Jahnke)