Chakramat

Chakramat is the world’s first digital Chakra Refurbishing Machine. It transforms an ordinary arcade machine into a device that blends technology with spiritual practices, inviting users to participate in a unique sensory experience.

To engage with the Chakramat, a user first inserts a coin into the machine and selects an appealing image from the display. The user then places both hands on the two buzzers attached to the machine and remains calm. The selected image is converted into a pulsated electronic current that travels from the left buzzer, through the user’s body, and to the right buzzer. Since human skin can conduct electricity, this data stream traverses all seven chakra centers, symbolically refurbishing them as it passes.

The right buzzer reads the incoming data stream and recompiles the image. Factors such as body resistance, chakra response, and fingertip sweat influence the reassembled image, making the output unique to each individual while retaining a resemblance to the original. This variability reflects the user’s physiological and energetic state during the interaction.

Participants can also join hands with others to build human networks, allowing multiple users to experience the Chakramat simultaneously. This collective engagement enhances the sense of interconnectedness and shared energy flow among users.

Credits

Thanks to Franz Xaver for curating our first “Insert Coin” show in Medienkunstlabor at Kunsthaus Graz in 2003.

Insert coin was an art-arcade-machine exhibition with works by Leo Peschta , Claudia Larcher , Sebastian Hanig, Gordan Savicic, Daniel Kauer and Phillip Lammer.