Synctuary
The interactive meditation campfire where calmness becomes contagious
Synctuary is a digital meditation campfire, inviting us to reimagine the mirroring power of technology as one that can bring us back into sync. It is an interactive art and science installation that transforms meditation from a solitary act into a collective experience. Using brainwave data and motion sensors, it visualizes calmness as it spreads through a group, turning inner stillness into a shared rhythm through evolving soundscapes and light. By merging neuroscience with ancient traditions of gathering around fire, Synctuary reimagines technology as a vessel for connection, where calm becomes contagious.
CREDITS
Artistic Lead
Thijs Biersteker
Studio Director
Sophie de Krom
THE EXPERIENCE
Synctuary invites you into a moment of shared stillness, a space where the boundaries between self and others begin to dissolve.
As you enter the space and gather around the digital campfire, light and sound begin to move gently in response to the group. The atmosphere invites you to slow down, to breathe, to listen, and to feel the quiet presence of others around you. Gradually, the room shifts as attention aligns. Movements soften, breathing steadies, and calmness begins to flow between participants. The installation mirrors this subtle connection, translating it into patterns of light and sound that evolve as the group relaxes together. Here, technology doesn’t distract, it listens. It mirrors your presence, amplifying what happens when awareness meets connection. In Synctuary, ancient traditions meet innovation, and calmness becomes contagious.
Technical Lead
Jochem Esser
Soundscape
End of Time
With special thanks to
Eva Elias, Eveline van den Heuvel
Photo/video
Rituals
| DATA INPUT | MATERIALISATION |
|---|---|
| Brainwave activity (theta and beta) | Translated into shifting soundscapes that reflect focus, calm, and collective awareness. |
| Micro-movements and posture | Influence the rhythm and flow of light within the campfire structure. |
| Eye closure and moments of stillness | Gradually soften sound textures and stabilize the light, visualizing deep calm. |
| Group synchrony data | Combines individual signals into a shared visual and auditory state. |
DATA AND MATERIALISATION
Using real-time physiological inputs, the installation translates human presence into light and sound.
At its center stands a softly glowing digital fire, sculpted from layers of transparent acrylic and LED modules that respond in real time to participants’ physiological states. EEG-powered headbands capture brainwaves, pulse, and micro-movements, while sensors within the artwork register posture and moments of eye closure, the subtle gestures of surrender that accompany stillness. This data becomes the language of the work, directing the rhythm of sound and the color of light. As the group synchronizes, these signals merge, transforming individual states into a collective expression of calm. As participants reach synchrony, the flame glows more fluidly, shifting from cool to warm tones, from scattered flickers to calm gradients. The soundscape mirrors this transformation, evolving from fragmented textures into slow, harmonic waves. This is not a simulation of calm but a co-creation of it.
IMPACT
When technology aligns with our stillness, change begins within, and calmness, like all living systems, spreads.
In Synctuary, we explored how calmness can become contagious through connection. We aimed to show that technology mirrors what we feed it, it learns from our attention, reflects our pace, and amplifies our intentions. Synctuary reimagines that mirror as a vessel for connection, where stillness flows from one person to another, filling the room with a contagious calm. Technology can reflect calm, which begins within us and extends between us. And here, what begins as one person’s stillness becomes a shared rhythm, reminding us that mental health transcends the personal; it is, at its core, a collective state of being. Calmness is not an isolated journey but a shared rhythm, one we build together. What extends between us can also extend beyond us. The systems sustaining our planet and our minds are deeply intertwined. By nurturing the human systems within us, we begin to heal the world around us. Synctuary is our way of reminding ourselves, and others, that awareness, whether ecological or emotional, begins with connection.
SCIENTIFIC INSPIRATION
Synctuary is inspired by the science of neural synchrony, the phenomenon where human brains, hearts, and breathing patterns align through connection and attention
