Slaaparts

Slaaparts is a term used to describe a hypothetical interdisciplinary practice that blends sleep research with the arts. It refers to projects, events, and collaborations that examine sleep, dreams, and nocturnal experience through installations, performances, visual media, and sound works.

Origin and scope: The concept has emerged in discussions at the intersection of science communication and contemporary art, particularly within European art-science networks. While not a single organization, slaaparts activities are typically community-based or participatory and rely on collaboration among artists, neuroscientists, clinicians, and designers.

Activities and methods: Projects often involve immersive environments that evoke sleep states, data-driven visualizations of sleep cycles, and audience participation. Methods may include noninvasive sleep monitoring, immersive sound design, projection, and tactile installations. Ethical considerations include informed consent, privacy of sleep data, and participant well-being.

Impact and reception: Proponents view slaaparts as a way to democratize sleep science, foster public dialogue about sleep health, and reveal subjective phenomenology of sleep. Critics note potential gaps between scientific rigor and artistic interpretation and emphasize the need for transparent methodologies and ethical safeguards.

Selected forms: Installations, live performances, film and video works, interactive sculptures, and accompanying publications or open datasets.

See also: Sleep science, science communication, interdisciplinary art, immersive art, neuroaesthetics.