There are many videos on YouTube labeled “ASMR,” such as some cooking tutorial shorts, which record the sounds of handling ingredients and cooking processes very clearly and delicately through special techniques. There are also some videos specifically documenting the sound of people chewing various foods, and even some unimaginable content, including murmuring to a microphone, tapping a microphone with fingernails, combing hair, rubbing sheets, and other audio! However, the most unexpected thing is that “ASMR” has recently become the subject of the Stockholm ArkDes Museum of Architecture and Design in Sweden, bringing the exhibition “Weird Sensation Feels Good” to share the “weird and wonderful” art of ASMR with everyone!
In recent years, the increasingly popular “ASMR” is actually an abbreviation for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response,” which means “spontaneous sensory meridian response,” also known as “cranial orgasm.” “ASMR” is a tingling sensation that starts from the scalp and extends to the back of the neck and upper spine, usually triggered by specific auditory stimuli, such as the YouTube videos mentioned above that record various subtle sounds in daily life and the environment. Many people find these ultra-realistic sounds healing, satisfying, and relaxing, and some even use these sounds to promote sleep and relieve stress. In recent years, there have been many artists creating “ASMR” content, leading to the ArkDes launching the exhibition “Weird Sensation Feels Good” based on this new popular culture.
This exhibition brings together the works of 30 “ASMR” artists and other multimedia visual arts. Not to be missed is Bob Ross’s television show, the late famous American landscape painter who would create oil paintings on the show while gently scraping the canvas, all while whispering into the camera with a magnetic voice. The floor and walls of the exhibition space are covered with a large number of white rectangular memory pillows, allowing visitors to take off their shoes, put on pajamas, lie on the pillows, and wear headphones to enjoy ASMR art.
Given the ongoing pandemic, the ArkDes Museum was previously closed and instead held the “Weird Sensation Feels Good” exhibition online, with a specially produced 90-minute guided video. If you are interested, feel free to click into the ArkDes website to take a look!
Image source: ArkDes
