The Development of a Mindfulness Meditation Practice System Using a Chatty and Kinetic Ball
摘要
This study explores the integration of interactive installation and the “Liberated in Stillness and Motion” concept into daily life. We use the chatroom concept to develop a mindfulness meditation practice system embedded in an interactive art installation, zen_Move, to embody the Zen concept of “stillness with movement, movement with stillness” meditation in a corridor of Dharma Drum Buddhist College (DDBC) in Taiwan. We placed ten touchscreen computers in the art installation along the zen_Move meditation path. We designed the “Chatty & Kinetic Ball (CK-ball)” and IoT chatroom communication to implement the mindfulness meditation practice system. Participants stand in front of the touchscreens and use their fingers to drag the CK-ball. The system calculates the stability and focus of their dragging motions, which we define as the “focus leap index.” This index will tell CK-ball which screen to jump to next. Participants must eventually make the CK-ball jump to the 10th screen and disappear. The system architecture also employs RESTful and Web Socket technologies and uses chatroom methods to synchronize and collaborate with interactive multimedia, wireless networks, and mobile devices. In this practice system, we have designed three modes: “Spatial Installation” CK-ball Mode, “Wisdom Adages” Lotus Mode, and “Mobile Cross Space” Remote Mode, all of which are capable of distributed communication and “ubiquitous Zen.” During its past exhibitions, this system enhanced participants’ focus and conveyed the concept of Zen meditation through artistic expression, attracting numerous international visitors. We hope this system and installation can be expanded to more locations worldwide, making the CK-ball a symbol of “zen_Footprint,” and more people can practice mindfulness meditation and experience the Zen state of “stillness and movement as one.”