PurePainPurePleasure is an interactive installation based on sound, touch, and wearable technology. The piece is based on a total body suit with sensors and actuators embedded, which a user wears while others at a distance in different points of the room, or remotely (via web or mobile phone), act on it, providing the wearer with pleasant or painful sound and touch stimuli. The piece invites foreigners to act physically (even if over distance) on others body. The vitality and output of the installation is given by the interaction of 4 users acting simultaneously, singularly, or in cooperation, on the one wearing the Total body suit.

Pure Pain Pure Pleasure consists of 5 semi translucent domes, of which 4 small input domes, and one large output dome into which a user wearing the output Total Body Suit will be “cocooned”. The four smaller domes contain various sensors and through the interaction of 4 or more users will transmit the sensors data to the Total Body Suit worn by the user into the larger dome. The Total Body Suit contains actuators that will output the sensors data from the small domes and provoke Pain or Pleasure to the wearer. At the same time the Total Body Suit wearer’s biofeedback will be projected onto the larger dome surface, to provide the audience and wearer him/herself with a pleasant visualization of her or his pain or pleasure.

The Pure Pain Pure Pleasure installation defines an interesting context of reflection over social dynamics. Group dynamics and expression of the single player or group identity through procuring others Pain or Pleasure. PurePainPurePleasure installation was developed for CADE (Computers in Art and Design) Conference art show.

While the installations may appear simply playful, the users’ propositions about the use they will make of such technologies is extremely valuable. History has shown that many fictional future scenarios and tools, such as mobile phones, proposed in sci-fi movies have become our daily way to interact with others. Movies and art installation are a way to provide a large audience with future scenarios and foresee the evolution of technology and human needs.