Summary of The High Focus Institute (Lucy Bonner)

Thesis Summary - Lucy Bonner


High Focus is a conceptual experience within a fictional future New Age

movement carefully designed to engender introspection in the participant. An entire

spiritual movement has been composed, complete with metaphysical goals, in order to

create a full background for the designed ritualistic experience and accompanying

physical installation. The fictional New Age movement is purposefully over-the-top in

order for the participants to more easily accept the thought-provoking questions of the

procedure – and not perceive the experience as didactic and off-putting. Upon hearing a

short preface to the movement, the participant is asked to call the elevator at the press

of a button. This act of consent is important for the self-determination facet of the

experience, and these consensual acts continuously reappear throughout the designed

ritual to maintain the active nature of the participation. Once the “elevator” is called,

participants step into a tube with another designer, in character as a guide, as part of the

movement. The tube is back-projected from all sides to create a full 360 degree

envelopment. Each scene projected acts as a “level” and through touching hands with

the guide (another repetitive act of consent) the participant indicates whether or not to

ascend, descend, or leave, and the projection moves to mirror the indicated direction.

The participant is asked questions about themselves and their lives at each level, and

gives answers only to their own inclinations.

The open-ended questions, consent to travel to new levels, and physical touch

are all designed to give each participant a sense of authorship to the experience,

something lacking from the in day-to-day lives in this society of separation – separation

from meaning and purpose, and from direct interaction with people or objects. The

ritualistic experience is designed to prompt introspection on this separation and one’s

own understanding of purpose.

Two guides, a tube, and projections are the basis of the piece, and with so few

elements High Focus manages to inspire many to profound thoughts on the increasingly

materialistic and separatist world in those who accept it. The amount one gets out of

the experience is entirely up to the participant – again part of the design around consent

and the participant authoring their own experience. That concept of authoring for

oneself is an important part of High Focus’s reflection of and reaction against the

disembedding of people from purpose and meaning in the world – and the anxiety and

depression that comes with that separation – by inviting the participant to take an active

part in their own life and experience.