ABOUT THIS PROJECT:

“Meditations for the Coronapocalypse 1.0.1” by Eric Valosin

A daily virtual meditation application for a time of social distancing. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a way to center oneself in highly eccentric times.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Download and open the desktop application.

Each day the app will provide a new image from the array of over 50 meditative images from various traditions and art history. These were the images originally included in my 2017 installation, “For(Loop){Meditations;}” which used pushbutton prayer beads to fill the room with light the color of each pixel, much as you will experience here, virtually.

The meditation will begin on a random pixel of that day’s meditative image. Your screen will fill with the color of that pixel and slowly fade to the next subsequent pixels, cycling through until you decide to close the app. Feel free to restart the app (press ESC to close) to begin on a new pixel, meditating on the image for as long or as short a time as you desire.

FAQ:

Q:When I click the icon to open the app It says won't open, saying it's from an "unverified developer" or "untrusted source”

A:That's your computer protecting your from creeps, which is a good thing! If you believe I'm not one of them, you can give your computer permission to open it:

1)Right-click on the icon instead of double clicking it

2)Choose "open" from the dropdown menu (instead of double clicking the icon).

3)You'll then be prompted with the option to give your computer permission to open the app.

4)Once you've done this, you can then double click to open it like normal from now on.

(I've found it may still crash one more time as it sorts itself out, but the next time you open it it should work fine)

Q: When I run the app, I get a gray screen and nothing happens

A:Sorry about that. Please delete the old version on your computer and go ahead and download the latest version. That should fix it.

Q:It says I need to install Java. What gives?

A:This application requires Java to run. If you have a Windows or Linux computer you will have to update Java to the latest version. If you have a Mac computer you don't need to worry about it because my export bundles Java into the app, so it's baked in.

Q: It was working fine for me. Should I still update?

A:You might as well. It will continue to work fine for you, but this version is simply just better than the other one, so there's no harm in it. Rather than changing images relative to your own usage of the app, this version unites all users with images that change based on the actual date. (Happy 737,528th day of the Common Era, which, incidentally, is Kandinsky day here in Coronapocalypse Time!)

Q:It works! Now what do I do with this thing, anyway?

A:Keep reading below for suggestions on how to make the most of your meditations. But in the end, do what makes you feel centered and immersed in the image. Or do what makes you feel highly de-centered and excluded from the image. Just do what sparks your interest. Or do what sparks nothing at all. Sometimes we need space for those non-spark type moments too.

SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION:

Meditate on...

•the digital anatomy of the image;

•the nature of the light;

•your position in relation to the “pixel” (what it means to be both "in front of" and "inside" the image);

•the meaning of the image as it relates to your experience in that moment;

•...

You may also...

•Try to retain the original image in your mind through the meditation.

•Try to let the original image go, and experience only the light through the meditation.

•Observe your own thoughts and breath.

•...

PRO TIP

FOR AN ENHANCED, IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE:

Go into a pitch dark room with white walls/ceiling, and run the app on a large monitor/smart TV/digital projector with the brightness set to max. Observe the

walls/ceiling (perhaps even facing away from the screen), which will now be filled with the color from the screen, immersing yourself inside the “pixel.”

Revision History:

1.0.1(4/13/20)

•Removed saveString() and loadString() functions that referenced a locally saved .txt file in order to increment daily images, causing unexpected behavior on some machines

•Replaced it with code that identifies the current day and where it falls in a 51 day cycle since the beginning of the Common Era in order to select daily image.

1.0.0(3/17/20)

•Original release

•Created using Processing 3.5.4 and exported as stand-alone desktop application for free download.