Biofeedback Painting: Let the Heart Lead the Brush

Abstract

The authors have collaborated on a project visualizing heart rate variability with the assistance of a pen plotter. The authors present artworks produced at the interface between biofeedback techniques and visual art. This biofeedback project created a new process of drawing and painting driven by participants’ heart activity, which itself is influenced by their mental, physical and emotional states.

Typology of Emotion Assemblages in Art and Science

“…It is characterized by multimedia installations that involve near real-time emotion capture of participants which is then feed back to the participants visually or via audio. The artworks tend to use galvanic skin response [18], heart rate [19] or body gesture [20] to capture emotion data and directly translate this into an artwork. The input of the projects is usually the behavior of the audience or artist and the immediate context of the artwork such as the gallery or museum.…”