LEUNG WAI YEE JEREMY

This Room Is Oddly Satisfying

Since my research topic is about Oddly Satisfying Vides, at the very beginning I've already planned to do an exhibition regarding Oddly Satisfying Videos/ ASMR. Inspired by the "WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD" ASMR exhibition, I'm fascinated in bringing those satisfying videos into reality, creating an area where people can experience those videos in real life and also involve in the process of the creation.

Photos from "WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD" exhibition

Initial Idea:

My initial idea is to recreate an animated satisfying gif in reality, by decomposing the video into frames, making the objects in reality. I would want to know if people can still feel satisfaction when they are watching the movement of the object in a frame-stopping way.

So I planned to make an animated bouncing ball gif, show it on the screen, then recreate the object movement through blender.

Video: Bouncing Ball Animation reference. Photo: the exhibition room demo

However, this idea is abandoned due to practical concern. I was informed that such kind of installation will be hard to make in reality therefore I have no choice but to give up the idea.

Idea Development:

Therefore, I have developed a new idea based on the experience of the Oddly Satisfying Videos. Since a lot of the Oddly Satisfying Videos that we've seen shows normal objects that we use every day, I'm curious about if we capture that moment of us using those objects, will we be also able to create a satisfying video? Also, I want to know if instead of watching other people do something, if we do something and watch it back, will we feel satisfied also? Does involvement has anything to do with the satisfaction feeling we obtain?

So my idea is to create a scene with a home-like setup e.g. kitchen, utensils will be provided to let the audience do things that they want, then we zoom in a different part, focusing on certain images to see if it create the same satisfying videos vibe.

Video: Exhibition room demo

Finalized Idea: This Room Is Oddly Satisfying

By grouping original ideas and feedback, I've developed a better idea.

There will be a room where 8 mystery boxes are randomly placed. When people come to the room, they are invited to reach in their hands and touch those mystery boxes. People can't see what is inside the box but by feeling the object, they can search the corresponding one on the screen where it is also randomly placed on the wall. Inside those mystery boxes, there will be object, which is also some everyday normal object, that we often see from the Oddly Satisfying Videos and a camera is 24/7 recording.

This idea not only brings the ASMR experience into real life (initial idea) but also allows us to know rather making and see our own create the same satisfying (idea development). And it also created an experimentive play-room like area for the audience to explore.

Initial draft drawing for the exhibition room

Set up:

Oddly Satisfying Videos/ASMR always gives me a strange feeling when I'm watching them, probably because they tend to be filmed in front of a dark background and we don't really understand why we are liking this sort of things/feeling it triggered. This kind of indescribable love for strange sound and images also remind me of the idea of fetish. Therefore, my set up of the room is going to try to visualize this kind of feeling, a bit strange and fetish.

Inspired by the set up of TV Eyeglasses 1971 Collection by Nam June Paik and the exhibition set up of The New Genres: Video in the Internet Age, I am putting TV screen randomly on a black wall, where the black wall will contrast with the screen light, and create a strange cinematic feel for the audience. However, my speakers will be placed on the corner of the floor in order not to ruin the mystery feeling the plain black wall has given.

Photos: TV Eyeglasses 1971 Collection by Nam June Paik, exhibition: The New Genres: Video in the Internet Age, my exhibition room screenshot

Mystery Box:

Inside the mystery box, the oddly satisfying objects placed are slime, bubble wrap, and soap (with cutter). There's also a pair of gloves on the side. (acting as a different identity), When people's hands reaching into the box, they will put on the gloves automatically. But before hands are reached the gloves will not be shown. It gives mystery and fetish sense for the experience. Before people reaching in, what's inside the box will be live streaming on the tv screen but the gloves part will be cropped out.

Photos: mystery box set up

Videos: demo on what's inside the mystery box/audience ASMR experience

Photos: TV screen before hands are reached in

Gloves:

The idea of putting gloves inside the mystery box is inspired by the Drag Queen/artist Juno Birch. He puts on gloves to cover his original skin color to erase the human characteristic and transform himself into another identity. I bought some gloves and painted the nails so that when people are experiencing the mystery box, they will not see their own hands and look like someone else is touching the objects. It creates a disconnect between the audience with the screen even though they are actually participating in it, and they are like reaching into the unknown. I think it will be a fun twist to give to the experience and rather people will feel satisfaction or not if they are watching it like how they did normally but they actually also the creator.

Changes:

Originally there are 11 boxes put into the room but then I reduced it to 8 in order to create more space for the audience, to let them be able to walk around and experience but still have the same strange feeling (not too empty).

Also, I have adjusted the height of the TV screen because some of it is too low and if there are people in front of it, it will be blocked others' sight and affect their experience.

Photos: view 11 boxes on the room, after reduction; view of 8 boxes on the room

Photo: Before adjusting the TV screen height