SiminLi LookingOutwards-02

http://roberthodgin.com/portfolio/work/body-dysmorphia/

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a project by Robert Hodgin done in 2010 that like the title suggests addresses a disorder in which the affected are concerned about a physical feature that they have. The project uses a Kinect sensor (motion sensing input device) to record people’s moving bodies and instantaneously turn that into a display of exaggerated body parts. Kinect apps are written in C++, C#, or Visual Basic NET. The artist uses algorithms to push surfaces to make the user change shape. One intentional decision made was to blur the depth map that resulted in a smoother, more consistent surface.

People can’t help taking their hands up to touch their newly discovered bloated faces. I never knew about this kind of disorder before and this project has brought awareness to it in the best way possible. It allows us to experience the symptoms in a realistic way. It inspires me because it could be used to raise awareness for other disorders like synesthesia (which I have always wanted to experience). It could also promote better understanding of symptoms for doctors treating the disorders.

Check out the video: