"A visionary work blending traditional artistry, advanced technology, and therapeutic innovation."
-------- Review from Future Art & Design Award
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Project description
“Intelligent Mirror: An AI Interactive Work of Guqin and Xiao Duet Therapeutic Music with Real-time EEG Feedback” pioneers a groundbreaking therapeutic experience. By seamlessly integrating masterful performances of the traditional Chinese instruments Guqin and Xiao with real-time electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring technology, it constructs a dynamically responsive “sound-consciousness” interactive system. The Guqin’s melody cleanses the mind like flowing water, while the Xiao’s notes brush through thoughts like a gentle breeze. The AI algorithm dynamically adjusts both the musical performance content and electronic soundscape parameters based on the user’s real-time brainwave states (such as α-wave relaxation and θ-wave meditation), creating an adaptive sonic therapy environment.
The Guqin and Xiao duet, a representative ensemble in traditional Chinese culture, embodies an aesthetic pursuit of elegant harmony: the Guqin primarily produces low frequencies, while the Xiao emphasizes mid-to-high frequencies, resulting in a naturally complementary fusion of frequency bands. Specific performance techniques generate unique therapeutic frequencies—the Guqin’s “gunfu” technique produces low frequencies (100-300 Hz) that stimulate δ waves, promoting deep relaxation and subconscious awakening; harmonic sequences and the Xiao’s “overblowing” technique generate high frequencies (above 3 kHz) that encourage endorphin release, alleviating anxiety; the Guqin’s “yinrou” technique creates amplitude modulation that mimics θ wave rhythms, aiding memory consolidation. This work artistically reorganizes these techniques into five musically therapeutic modules. Through real-time analysis of the listener’s EEG signals, the AI algorithm dynamically adjusts the spectral composition and spatial parameters of the electronic soundscape, achieving precise alignment between music therapy and neural responses—revitalizing traditional folk music with modern therapeutic capabilities.
This experimental work not only explores the frontiers of music neuroscience but also employs the metaphor of “mirror reflection”: when technology becomes a clear mirror reflecting the inner self, listeners perceive the ripples of their own consciousness through the resonance of sound waves and brainwaves, facilitating a transition from physiological soothing to psychological harmony.
Project Design & Composition: Huixin Xue
Programming: Shihong Ren
Real-time EEG: Xinyu Bai