Created for a themed exhibition on addiction, Transient States is an immersive installation that uses fluid dynamics to visualize the relationship between individual struggle and communal impact. Hosted as a large-scale 6x6m projection, the work utilizes Leap Motion tracking to remove physical barriers, making the interaction between the user and the system feel intimate and vulnerable. A central fluid circle—symbolizing the state of the individual—reacts to hand gestures, shifting from calm ripples to turbulent storms. These movements create a chain reaction in surrounding rings that represent friends, family, and the broader social environment.
The installation functions as a behavioral metaphor: if the user’s input remains chaotic for too long, the outer "support" rings begin to fade away—a literal representation of the erosion of social safety nets during a crisis. However, the system offers a path to recovery; by forming a tight fist, the participant triggers a "cocoon" state. In this mode, the audio filters out and the visual system accelerates its return to harmony, symbolizing a focused period of internal healing. By abstracting the experience of addiction, the project shifts the focus away from the "substance" and toward the systemic context of the user, highlighting the profound interconnectedness of our personal and social states.
