Hot_Flash.exe: Autonomic Overreaction

Hot_Flash.exe: Autonomic Overreaction is a human-sized electronic object. In this project, I am exploring the physiological and perceptual experience of hot flashes. The work consists of an array of 32 mini LED persistence-of-vision (POV) fans, which simultaneously display text and emit streams of air that viewers can feel. The fans activate in pulsing, wave-like sequences that simulate breathing rhythms, neural signal transmission, and the onset and dissipation of hot flashes. Midlife women experience highly variable symptom burdens, often compounded by broader life stressors, and there is no universal (medical) treatment approach. However, certain physiological aspects of menopause are well established but not widely known. For example, hot flashes are not caused by actual overheating of the body. Rather, they originate in the brain: even minor fluctuations in core temperature can trigger an exaggerated thermoregulatory response, activating heat dissipation mechanisms. In this sense, a hot flash can be understood as an overreaction of the autonomic nervous system. A person to whom a hot flash happens cannot simply "decide" to stop it. A hot flash begins, ends, and unfolds on its own timeline.





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