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Paralogue

Shin Hanagata + Katsumi Furuta + Yasuaki Kakehi

2017-2019 | media installation
electrical muscle stimulation / parasited body / intercommunication of self and other

Paralogue is a situation that others parasitize in your own arms and that creates a body in which the self and others overlap. The host wearing the device on his arm moves his arm by EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) regardless of his intention, and the arm begins to behave as if a remote parasite had possessed it. At this time, the arm, which was undoubtedly a part of the body of the host, appears as another person with the ego.

Voice and head movements of remote parasites are converted in real-time into host finger and arm movements by electrical stimulation. In addition, the parasite wearing the HMD can interact with the host through the camera and speaker mounted on the host's fingertips. In this way, the "existence" of the parasite is expressed in the host body.

practical study

The host senses the weak movements of the muscles as representation of the intentions of the parasite. It causes the feeling that the self and other are mixed in one part of the body. This means that another person erodes inside the body, and also means that two consciousnesses exist in one body at the same time. In order to consider such a new view of the body, I practiced this device habitually for a month.


reflex and motion

For the host, basically moving the body is conscious, and being moved by the EMS is reflexive. However, the behavior that should be called "unconscious consideration" that occurs here makes the situation that the host unconsciously perceive the movements of the parasite and host move his/her body while mixing the actions for his/her own and for the parasite.


representation sharing

While Paralogue, the host hand is as if the face of a parasite. This means that the parasite has a sense of existence, borrowing from the host's social impression. The parasite exists there while his/her physical impression, representation, and social presence are mixed with the host.


strong empathy

Sensing his movements and voices as muscle reflex without looking at him makes the host feel like the parasite and he are overlapping and sharing one subject. The body movements, especially the small voices and movements of the parasite were transmitted in a neurological manner, produced strong sympathy for the each other.


more details:

solo play; "demonstration of Paralogue"

Written and Directed by Koji Nanba

Hanagata, a developer who came to the demonstration of the device "Paralogue" that "arms another consciousness", faces "another self" that branches off from the same body. We always keep our memories and memories, various histories and thought fragments on the network. Analyzed/learned by GAFA, etc., and predicting their behavior, what is said, is the emergence of another type of personal twin who acts automatically in the digital world-the personal twin of personality. And, in this work, as we ask and answer with "another self", we are finally made to prostrate by the branched "I", and "I" and "I" are replaced.