Echoes is commissioned by the S+T+ARTS Artist Residency ReSilence.
On Friday, July 4th and Wednesday, July 9th, 2025, Loukia Tsafoulia and Severino Alfonso presented the immersive installation “Echoes, An immersive environment for awareness of neurodivergent spatial experiences” to invited guests on the Autism Spectrum, and their therapy, and family caregivers. The events took place at the municipal gymnasium Neo Ikonio in Perama, Greece, a space provided to the artists for the construction of the work by the Perama City Hall.
The creators received feedback that contributes to their research through a qualitative questionnaire they developed regarding the impact of the overall experience, including specific spatial aspects of sound and light projections adapted in real-time based on the participant’s body movement, facial expressions, and respiratory rates within the Echoes’ interior. Combining art, technology, and human perception, “Echoes” is an interactive environment that fosters understanding, awareness, and acceptance of neurodiverse spatial experiences. Autistic individuals are significantly affected by sensory input, making the physical environment important to their ability to interact with the world around them. Spatial access remains crucial for autonomy, empowerment, and empathy. The Echoes project invites us to use our experiences and our bodies to empathize with the emotional experiences of others.
Echoes is a physical space made of wood and cork with embedded experimental sensor technologies. The installation is organized in three interconnected environments: In “outside: a collective experience,” participants interact with the installation from an external, exposed environment through a series of light events that emerge from within and slowly and dynamically change the intensity and coloration of the light. Participants then enter “inside: multiples of one,” an intimate, interior space that functions as a “retreat” for an individual, dynamically adjusting the light and its sonic properties based on the movement and breathing rhythms of the participants as a way of self-regulation.
Present team members during the events were Loukia Tsafoulia & Severino Alfonso (creators) // Filio Kosmidou (Participants coordinator) // Ilias Kalisperakis, Spyros Stefanidis, up2metric & Paraskeui Kritopoulou, CERTH (Technology) // Elpida Nikou (documentary)
