THE IDEA OF ESTABLISHING AN ASMR MUSEUM

WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD: The World of ASMR
(13 MAY – 10 APRIL 2023 // The Design Museum, London) 

Many people today need to watch and listen to ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos to reduce their anxiety, mostly to sleep, or even to relax or focus on one thing. Watching and listening, these two must be at the same time, this part is important. In fact, what people listen to in ASMR videos is not classical music or a relaxing rhythm. There is no nature scene or music, only the sounds of that video's content, for example comb sound, scissors sound, daily life sounds according to the content of the video. These videos are most viewed and watched on Japanese and Korean content via Youtube. For example long whispered talk, playing with hair, slight crackling sound when candles are burning, water sound, tape sound, clicking sound coming out of hard floor where nails touch, comb sound while combing hair... In the focus, they create content that creates a feeling like a slight tingling in certain parts of the brain and body for relaxation. How can people walk around with this feeling inside a museum? How can they experience this? For example, it is not possible for them to experience this experience by walking around all the time, and comfort areas must be presented to the visitor and relaxation areas must be located. For example, visitors should be able to sit or lie down, perhaps they should be freed from their belongings during the visit. For example, while they are carrying heavy items such as heavy bags, coats in their hands or on their backs, it is not possible for them to experience this experience 100% effectively. At this point, the things to consider when creating a curatorial scenario begin to take shape: ASMR - ASMRtist - Trigger - Intentional ASMR - Unintentional ASMR - Frisson - Misophonia - Synaesthesia...

Think with Google, Google Data, Global, Search interest for “ASMR” on YouTube. July 2017–July 2022, a review of August 2022, by Roya Zeitoune.
ASMR is something we are exposed to without realizing it, it is frequently used in brand marketing strategies and advertisements. We can say that it is a series of sounds and movements such as whispered dialogues, the sound of bubbles coming from drinks, the sound of brush strokes, the sound of turning the pages of books, light touches to the skin in make-up and skin care brands. They can be hypnotizing and at the same time highly motivating to a context.

Photograph by Ed Reeve (via The Design Museum)
So does ASMR work for everyone? Does everyone have the same experience? According to experts, only 20% of people have this experience, others do not have a 'feeling' or 'sensitivity' and remain neutral during idioms. People's susceptibility to the condition varies from sensitive gene sequences in brain chemicals to cultural influences and life experiences. ASMR exhibition was developed by ArkDes (The Swedish Center for Architecture and Design, previously known as the Museum of Architecture) in 2020 as part of the Virtual Design Festival, and met with visitors for the first time in the world (At least, this is known for Europe, but we guess that such an attempt may have been made in Japan and Korea, we will investigate, we will be glad if you inform us). Now it is the first ASMR exhibition in London at the Design Museum, launched during Mental Health Awareness Week on May, 2022. In the exhibition area, we realized a large resting area in the structure of the 'Telencephalon' (brain form) where visitors can lie down and listen to ASMRtists. We have mentioned the necessity of this for this experience. We noticed that visitors were lying in this area, taking off their shoes, listening and watching ASMRtists. During this experience, there is a very comfortable and relaxed view of the audience. It's because everyone focuses on... something. Some of them make a sound by scratching the leather of a bag with their nails, some of them make a clicking sound by hitting the shell of a glass object, while others start watching colorful videos that seem like hypnotic and constantly in motion loop format. Now, we have witnessed that such requests have started to come from visitors. Visitors request ASMR hairdressers, massage parlors and places where they can experience ASMR make-up. It is quite interesting... Will we see the ASMR Museum soon, why not? Maybe new collaborations with ASMR for art therapy will create a new perspective… ASMR Museum spaces that can help people sleep, relax, get rid of their insomnia causes, worries, and get rid of stress to a bit… For example, museum audio guides will accompany the visitor with a whispering voice. Maybe 24/7 open museum strategy would be ideal for parents and they would use ASMR museum spaces as night watchmen to put their children to sleep, wouldn't it? We have to consider all the possibilities :) Museums continue to create new experience areas for visitor groups. ASMR is a field of experience, a feeling, a movement that even curators have difficulty in fitting into a certain mold so the museum may aim to define it or at least contribute to research.

(Whispering in your ears): ASMR Museum... Hmm... A wonderful feeling... As museologists we would like to visit such a museum :)

EXHIBITION (ON-GOING):
WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD: The World of ASMR (13 MAY – 10 APRIL 2023) #ASMR_IRL
At the Design Museum (London), in collaboration with ArkDes, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design.
Curator: James Taylor-Foster (Curator of Contemporary Architecture and Design, ArkDes)
Assistant Curator: Esme Hawes
Exhibitions Coordinator: Giulia Cozzi
Project Managers: Nicola Underwood and Justine Boussard
3D Design: ĒTER (Kārlis Bērziņš, Dagnija Smilga and Niklāvs Paegle)
Build: 345 Interiors
AV: Blue Elephant
Lighting: Beam Lighting Design
For further information please visit: https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/weird-sensation-feels-good-the-world-of-asmr#