RELIEF OPTIONS
CHAOS TRACKER
INSTRUCTIONS:
Click the play button to begin. Watch the animation in full first, then click the RESET button to start interacting.
As the animation progresses, you will begin to see the visuals and music shift from serene to chaotic, coinciding with the CHAOS TRACKER line.
Before the animation reaches the end, press any of the RELIEF OPTIONS buttons to take the chaos back a notch. The more you press, the bigger the impact. Press the buttons as many times in any order you want, but beware of pressing too often!
[Not yet mobile friendly] [HD version coming soon!]
Interact programming by Phillip Quiza. Music edited for dis(ORDER). Original composition by Dimitris Menexopoulos.
INTERACT is representative of the feedback loop of obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which fears and obsessions continue to amplify and morph the more one attempts to resist them. The animation watched in full, without interruption, portrays this “positive” feedback loop.
For a feedback loop to maintain equilibrium, “negative” feedback must be introduced. For this project, the negative feedback are the Relief Options because of their purpose of reigning in fears. When you press these buttons, they gradually slow the animation and bring it back to more serene moments.. For some of the research participants I interviewed, treatments like medication or therapy allowed them to have greater control over their OCD and find moments of peace again.
However, a too high dosage of medication or misaligned therapy (excessive negative feedback) often led to feelings of stagnation or even emotional numbness. The impact on the animation from pressing the Relief Options too many times captures this excessiveness of negative feedback.