Manisa

concept

The word magnet comes from the Greek “magnítis líthos”, which means “Magnesian Stone”. Magnesia, where magnetic phenomena is believed to be discovered, is now called Manisa, a city in Turkey.

Introduction
The Manisa Project is settled at the crossroads of neuroscience, astronomy and new media. Magnetic phenomena is the main utility of both the technical and social aspects of the project. Manisa investigates astral concepts such as interstellar magnetic fields, features of stars, and history of the universe. It incorporates the tools of astronomical research in the discovery of new social networks. The Project begins with a telescope. B-Machine is a research study conducted in the University of California, Santa Barbara Physics Department which involves the development of a telescope that observes the cosmic radiation background of the stars. This way, the B-Machine extracts the characteristics and histories of the stars; or, in other terms, their identities. Manisa Project takes on this idea of identity extraction through magnetic fields and applies it to human beings:
We are electrical machines
Our system is a composite of wires and nodes. And wherever there is a wire holding a current, there is a magnetic field. Therefore, our brains consist of millions of neurons that carry electricity and emit magnetic fields. Although still a mystery, the human brain is mapped out to an extent by neuroscientists. Through many techniques, our brains can be scanned and a rough picture of mechanisms on duty can be acquired. At this point, Manisa Project augments the current brain scanning techniques with the idea of the B-Machine. The telescope is redesigned on a smaller scale, but is instead used to read the magnetic fields of human brains rather than stars.
Magnetic field as a network
Manisa Project in the physical realm is a room installed with the miniature B-Machine and filled with people. It is the host that scans through the minds of its guests and once it acquires the information it needs, it evolves-- creating visual extensions of their guests according to the magnetic fields their brain activities cause. These visual extensions start bonding people that "attract" each other mentally through their temporary and/or permanent thought processes.
A non-obtrusive interface
Manisa project interacts with the brains of its guests but the system is designed to be inherently non-obtrusive. The sensor remotely captures the magnetic field and feeds the software and the sense of scientific experimentation is reduced to a minimum to gather natural readings. It requires neither a conscious input from the guests nor an apparatus to be attached to people in order to function. The bonds start to extend from individuals without having them cooperate; all they have to do is to attend this social event, a party for say.