Canapé psy 4

2018

Project to give a true soul to objects

Why not breathe a real soul into the objects around us? I am fascinated by the idea of animating inert things, thus materializing the notion that each object has a soul. With this in mind, I designed a sofa in permanent connection with a qualified psychiatrist, thus revisiting the famous configuration of the shrink’s couch. Here, the sofa is not content to be a simple support; it becomes the shrink itself. And that’s not all. I also imagined various objects like stools on which, at first glance, you think you are sitting. In reality, thanks to an ingeniously integrated microchip, you’re sitting on something else. The chip sends an alternative image of the stool, such as a rock, a haystack, or the like, thus disrupting your perception and calling into question your interaction with the object. These works question our relationship to reality, to authenticity, and above all, to our daily environment. In a world where we take everything for granted, isn’t it time to question what we think we know? I give a soul to objects. Neo Valen

The artist Neo Valen, in collaboration with the designer Mostapha El Oulhani of Darenart, pushed the limits of innovation by designing the first “psy” sofa connected to a psychiatrist. This exceptional creation, uniting art and technology, redefines the traditional notion of a psychiatric therapy session by integrating it into the tangible world.
The sofa, a physical representation of a therapy session, thus becomes a living and interactive link with a mental health professional. Through a simple connection of your phone to the sofa, you can initiate a therapeutic session, making the comfort of your home a space for exchange and psychological support.
Valen‘s vision was to transform an everyday object into a space for exploration and healing of the spirit. By merging the symbolic representation of a therapy session with a concrete object, Valen and El Oulhani have succeeded in making this exchange lively and tangible.
This work, innovative and daring, embodies the artist’s wish to unite art, technology, and mental well-being. It is a reflection of his constant quest to push the boundaries of creativity and to seek new and unexpected ways of interacting with the world around us.
The connected psycho sofa is more than just a piece of furniture or a technological gadget; it is an interactive experience that invites reflection and introspection, a space of comfort and understanding, a manifestation of art that unites with everyday life to promote well-being.

This is a stone

The stool contains a radio-frequency electronic chip that holds the image of a rock.

Neo Valen