Artefact 1 - Report

Introduction

The intended effect of Artefact 1 was to take the viewer on a visual journey from the city to a quiet place in nature, while using sound to enhance the therapeutic outcome. By mentally moving away from the “concrete jungle”, where the senses are over-stimulated, and moving towards being isolated in nature, the viewer is able to reach a more relaxed state.

Method

To achieve the visual experience, urban scenes were presented before gradually moving towards a more natural environment. In order to recreate over-stimulation of the senses in the city environment, quick shots and fast time lapses were used over several ambient city soundtracks. On the other hand, to enhance the calming effect of the slow, fading nature shots, healing music producer Osho’s “New Day” was used as the background music.

Results

Overall, the results from 20 participants confirmed the initial assumption. When asked what was thought/felt during the separate sections, the findings were in line with their objectives (Appendix A). However, in response to being asked how much it felt like a journey, most chose “moderately” or “slightly”, which may have negatively affected the effectiveness of the treatment (Figure 1). Additionally, 72% said the music was calming, but one response pointed out that personal preference might affect the result (Appendix B). Although these results are beneficial, the main contributing factor is that before the viewing participants were asked what best describes their current state of mood. 54.2% of the participants were in an anxious state and 42.8% were in a relaxed state (Figure 2). After the video , 13.6% were anxious and 72.7% relaxed (Figure 3). These findings show that the video influenced the viewers in a calming way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite confirming the preliminary postulation, due to the use of too many elements, the degree to which each has benefited the viewer is unknown.