In an era where technology intertwines seamlessly with daily life, the pursuit of inner peace has taken a leap forward. Gone are the days when meditation required a quiet room; with XR technology, anyone can immerse oneself in serene landscapes, in imaginary worlds. And this was demonstrated by Goyo Meditation Planet, an intriguing VR experience that merges physical and digital worlds to enhance mental wellbeing. Supported by Arts Korea Lab, and presented at NewImages Festival, where TechvangArt talked with the Creators Soojin Pray and SeoRyoung KIM, and also experienced the powerful prototype. The project comes in a growing trend related to wellness, and combining XR and relaxation techniques and mindfulness.
The global health and wellness sector is estimated at approximately $4 trillion, experiencing an annual growth rate of 5-10%, with US and China leading it. McKinsey research (2022) shows that consumers are most interested in six wellness categories: health, fitness, nutrition, appearance, sleep, and mindfulness. Only with regard to mindfulness, McKinsey expert Manish Chopra considers that the pursuit of mindfulness will become an essential aspect of how we live our lives. In 2030, a typical day for a professional could start off with either an offline or online yoga or meditation class. Of course, there is a risk for over-commercialization of mindfulness, or that this would become a little bit of gimmick. But, people are now more aware of mindfulness as an offering and a service. And this is only on the mindfulness, relaxation, stress-relief segments.
At the same time, the XR market size was valued at USD 41.01 billion in 2022 and is predicted to reach USD 142.04 billion by the end of 2030 ( Zion Market Research).
McKinsey research from 2022 found out that it is expected that GenZ and Millennial generation will spend 4-5 hours/ day in metaverses in the next five years . Besides this, an award winning UK documentary (on HBO since 2023) reveals how young generations find friendship, love (even get married), search therapies, counseling and advices in the VR – Let’s Meet in Virtual Reality. In the immersive space, meditation experiences are in trend, developed by solo indie developers – some of them are available via Meta, Horizon, VRChat. Many are in the testing phase, or developed just for fun.
In these growing trends toward both immersive experiences and mindfulness and relaxation techniques, Goyo Meditation planet seemed to us, the new-kid from Asia, that is about to change the way we experience meditation in VR.
This is why we experienced the prototype (and indeed, it is something new on the market), and wanted to get to know the team behind it, and what made them start this project. While we were at NewImages Festival 2024, we talked with the two directors, Soojin Pray and SeoRyoung KIM
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| Soojin Pray | SeoRyoung KIM |
“GOYO Meditation Planet”
The SPACE MOUM’s “GOYO Meditation Planet” is an immersive art meditation project that integrates new technology, ancient Eastern wisdom, and artistic meditation, allowing participants to explore their inner selves and experience meditation in a virtual world
Soojin Pray and SeoRyoung KIM explained to us that Goyo means… tranquillity, silence. “We started from the art, our work is a combination of art and meditation - we have a lot experience from offline meditation, and now we want to create VR meditation".
Even before the project, Soojin Pray was doing traditional Korean dance and martial arts… She started to study the texts of Dongui Bogam.
“The human is a micro space which is always connected to that big-space and communicate with it. There is a lots of meditation and instructions to live a life according to the flow of spatial energy”, highlighted Soojin Pray
Dongui Bogam
This project is inspired by the “Dongui Bogam,” an ancient Korean cultural heritage and a UNESCO Memory of the World. The Dongui Bogam provides various methods to harmonize the body, life, and thoughts with the natural flow. “We are committed to researching these methods and applying them through various forms of artistic work, aiming to integrate ancient Eastern wisdom into contemporary society’, said Soojin Pray .
A brief foray into historical cultural anthropology.
Dating back over two millennia, Oriental medicine, with its roots in China, has blossomed into a diverse landscape of practices across East Asia. Among these, traditional Korean medicine stands out, its unique identity solidified after the publication of the seminal work, Donguibogam, by Dr. Heo Jun in 1613. This comprehensive medical treatise has earned profound recognition throughout the region, achieving UNESCO World Heritage status in 2009 for its invaluable contribution to medical history.
Donguibogam represents a critical juncture in the evolution of traditional Korean medicine, marking its emergence as a distinct medical system with innovative approaches to disease classification. The text not only catalogued existing knowledge but also introduced novel perspectives, emphasizing the crucial role of disease prevention and practical, evidence-based medicine. This emphasis on preventative care and pragmatic application significantly propelled the development of folk medicine, making it accessible to the wider population.
Through its historical impact and enduring influence, Donguibogam has earned the title of “bible” within the realm of Oriental medicine. Its widespread acceptance has fuelled the growth of Traditional Koreean Medicine’s popularity, integrating it into the everyday lives of the Korean people. More importantly, Donguibogam serves as a foundational text that firmly establishes traditional Korean medicine as a legitimate and independent medical system, distinct from its Chinese counterpart.
SPACE MOUM launched its first XR project prototype on GOYO meditation planet, titled ‘Gyeonghaeng – Slow Walking Meditation.’
“The reason why we choose Slow Walking Meditation is that it is mentioned 57 times in that text as a method. And also for us to see that people can feel really immersed in this experience was so important.() With this programme, people walk into their inner selves- A lot of people are afraid of getting inside themselves, that is why we had to plan every detail carefully”, explained us Soojin Pray
‘The prototype that we realized last year is 10 minutes long- and these projects combines our expertise from offline experiences and the XR technology and also some ancient ancient knowledge traditional knowledge”, said SeoRyoung KIM.
GOYO MEDITATION PLANET‘s unique on-offline experience content that combines real space production, performance, and virtual space experience through VR.
“Our project consist of a physical exhibition- So firstly, the people go through a physical exhibition and then they go to their space for the meditation and then there is this performance around them.
So we we plan this, this is steps. Our main question: how we harmonise the virtual world and physical world?”, explained SeoRyoung KIM.
Techvangart Experience: Immersive Meditation – Exploring Echoes of Self:
We experienced the first beta version of the meditation, and it was truly extraordinary – it was really relaxing, being able to place you in a deep meditation. The pace of the movement, voice lead to a gradual induction of the relaxation effect, that can deepen without much effort. The visual elements only enhanced this calm effect, gradually making you deepen in the landscape…. And in the end, the soft but decisive elements that ‘wake you up to your own reality. It definitely was the most relaxing immersive meditation experienced.
The experience starts with a gradual introduction of a very specific Asian landscape, where you are on a boat, on a water, and you have playful Asian lights floating, that is kind of a trigger that might lead you to another world. If in the beginning the experience is more playful, you notice that a kind-of-immersive tea ceremony that announces a shift.
A gentle tea ceremony, steeped in ritual and symbolism, serves as a bridge, inviting the user to fully embrace the meditative state.
The world is conceived with simple but powerful elements – a luminous sky, a towering tree, a beating heart, and a moonlight gate… Slowly you begin ‘to walk’ toward the tree. Guided by a soothing voice the users mental steps transform into a virtual walk towards the tree. The ”steps” become easier and easier (beyond any physical laws) the progress is more and more harmonized with the heartbeat, the self and the elements surrounding you in a profound silence. You start to relax, and gradually deepening into a state of meditation.
It was really a truly immersive experience, and one can only wonder how it would be in an offline-online setting as well. Maybe, we will experience it, when the project is finished, and hope to see it in many immersive exhibitions, and not only! 🙂
As you rich the tree, and gate, and the heart, it is like you feel your heart. Probably the most amazing part is when you are contemplating the shining sky and you feel like you are dissolving in it, but still being able to admire the glittering little stars, and not even noticing that you are not on the road. The finale and the wake up from the mediation is done also through movement, softly, but still decisively, so you can feel your own reality.
The importance of exploring the possibilities of extended meditation, relaxation, and alternative medicine through XR (Extended Reality) technologies cannot be overstated. The immersive nature of XR allows us to transcend the limitations of the physical world and embark on extraordinary journeys of self-discovery and inner exploration Also, XR opens up new space but extend the actual frontiers of alternative medicine, enabling practitioners to visualize and interact with the human body in ways never before possible.
This digital cleanness provides the transcendent experience that awaits in the convergence of the virtual and physical realms.
Goyo Meditation planet is an invitation to renounce the worldly limits of realities (virtual or real)and to delve into one’s own universe of one’s inner self
The project GOYO Mediation Planet was supported by Arts Korea Lab.
The Korean art meditation group SPACE MOUM creates artistic meditation project that traverses the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds, based on the Eastern worldview. Since 2020, we’ve expanded our activities into the virtual world, including online subscription services, dance films, NFTs, and XR project.
photo and video Copyright by ⓒ 2024 SPACE MOUM All rights reserved.