Can the fusion of Western scientific advances in sleep research with the experiential wisdom of ancient Chinese medicine create a new and more effective form of sleep through a redesign of our recliner bed?

The REM bed, another prototype of the artist’s fictional brand INERS, developed over decades, is the objectification of a thought experiment that ironically combines the findings of neuroscience with the concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. It is a grotesque critique of the excesses of the wellness industry disguised as revolutionary sleep technology. The bed’s undulating wooden surface activates reflexology points by matching patterns of brain waves generated during REM sleep to twelve meridians that run through the body, transforming sleep patterns into physical sleep experiences. A challenging piece of extreme furniture, the REM bed exemplifies how late capitalism commodifies cultural traditions and basic human needs. It provides a somatic experience for understanding late modern urban people’s contradictory relationship to rationality and irrationality.

Barnabás Bencsik