Greg Pidgeon

‘Nold’s innovative approach works to alter the way we use monitoring technologies; the Bio Mapping project uses skin sensors to construct maps which visualise where we as a community, feel stressed and excited.’

Pavilion in collaboration with Huddersfield University and Leeds College of Art and Design are running a number of seminars here in the university from February through to May. I attended a seminar by Christian Nold on his work focusing on his Bio Mapping experiments. In this Nold developed an electronic device that incorporated GPS technology with the ability to measure heightened stress/excitement in its subjects by measuring moisture on the fingertips. He then used this technology to send subjects out walking around an environment and recorded the information, mapping it to an OS map. This highlighted points on the subject’s journey where their stress/excitement was increased. The subjects were show the mapped results and asked to write a small review of their experience which gave some really interesting feedback. Nold is now thinking about practical applications for his device, this includes using group data to better understand crime stricken estates to developing the device.

I thoroughly enjoyed this seminar and wish Christian all the best with his work in the future. A very interesting and innovative experiment.

You can find information on Nold’s work @ www.biomapping.net and some pictures about the Bio Mapping projct and Nold himself below.