An Exploration of Grima – Typology Project

A audio and video exploration into the popular phenomenon of grima (the creeps) which is sounds combined with textures that create repulsion and disgust unique to an individual.

My goal was to try to offer a more tangible definition to the phenomenon of grima to see if see if there can be some joy found in this shared disgust. Grima is related to misophonia, but it is a different experience. Not everyone experiences the same reaction to the same grima triggers; however, there are certain experiences which many people claim as a trigger which are the experiences documented in the video. So my goal was to make a video to document these grima inducing sensations and then also use the video to see who is affected by what sounds/textures.

This project was inspired by the trend of ASMR, research by Francis Fesmire, and several projects discussed in class about unspoken phenomenon that humans share such as Stacy Greene’s lipstick photography.

First, I collected a list of grima inducing sensations via social media, word of mouth, and online websites such as Reddit. I gathered all the materials and tried to group them into similar groups while recording (such as all fork videos). It was important to record these sounds as realistically as possible, so I used the binaural microphone in the recording studio to capture the best sound quality. Capturing texture was also important, but I struggled with lighting so the color correction is a little off.

I wanted to compile these sensations into a format that was easily shareable, since this bonding experience is important to the foundation of the project. Being able to use this as a fun game to test yourself or see others who share the same triggers I think is a unique experience that should be talked about more. Additionally, having it in such a format will make it easier to conduct further research on what triggers affect people in the future. This was the final result: An Exploration of Grima

The next steps of the project are still in the drafting phase. Using the video created, I wished to capture data from people watching the video. I did a couple of tests and created some mockups but they are not great yet. I tried to capture users heartbeats while watching the video to see if heartbeats increased while watching their own triggers; however, I ran into some technical issues using the stethoscope and translating that data into visuals.

HEARTBEAT MOCKUP:

Next, I tried having people watch the video and tap on a microphone whenever they disliked a noise. They were suppose to tap faster the more they did not like a noise. I took the data from 2 people and compiled it in a visual alongside the video.

PHYSICAL TAPPING MOCKUP:

There is definitely more to be improved on regarding lots of aspects of this project. Technically, I would like to improve lighting conditions, keep these conditions consistent, and highlight the textures of the objects better. I think the execution and format of the project worked well for my goal, but I think increasing the scale in both experiences and participants would be ideal. Lastly, I would love to solidify a participatory aspect to this project where people can record their data while watching the video, whether that be figuring out the heartbeat monitor, updating a counter of sensations disliked in real-time etc.