At Milan Design Week 2019, Google has presented an exhibition called A Space for Being where visitors can explore and learn about how different designs and aesthetics elicit varying physiological and phycological responses.
Created in collaboration with Scandinavian design company Muuto, Reddymade Architecture, and the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University, the exhibition features a variety of spaces that are based on the scientific study of neuroaesthetics.
“Do you have favorite music that helps you unwind after a long day? Is there a particular scent that transports you back to your childhood? Or does a soft blanket on your lap help you feel calmer as you sit down to read? These reactions are our bodies’ responses to our surroundings, whether it’s something we see, touch, smell, taste or hear,” said Ivy Ross, Google’s vice president for hardware design. “Designers intuitively consider these sensory inputs to evoke certain feelings in people.”
With visitors exploring three distinct spaces as they wear a wristband that measures heart activity, breathing rate, skin temperature, skin conductivity and motion, a visual representation of the attendee’s response to each space and a customized readout of which space made them feel most at ease is provided at the end of the exhibition.
“We worked hard to make sure that the visualisation was also beautiful, because technology doesn’t have to be scary,” noted Ross. “The whole premise is that technology can be beautiful – it’s not either, or. We need both in our lives.”
