MareVivo

“You are the Sea”. Human-Sea Interoception through Sailboats Motion Detection

and Biometric Data Overlay

By Mirna Zordan

with Zhao Yong, Pei Jiakun, Yang Yunan, Zhang Luwen

Emerging from an innate longing for unity, our connection to the sea is visceral. Sailing offers an immersive and sustainable way to engage with the sea, requiring an intimate understanding of its dynamics. In this work, we aim to showcase the depth of the connection between the interoceptive rhythm of our bodies and that of the sea. We present MareVivo, an interactive system that visualizes this relationship by overlaying human heartbeats on the sea’s rhythm, as captured through the movement of a sailboat.

Angular motion data from a pre-recorded sailing session was processed into a dynamic data visualization, while participants can interact with it by pressing their finger on a pulse sensor, overlaying their real-time heartbeats on the sea. This interactive system makes the unseen rhythm of the sea visible, allowing people to experience—visually and viscerally—how we and the sea beat with the same rhythm.

Design Concept
MareVivo is an interactive system that connects humans to the sea by making both their unseen, interoceptive rhythms visible and perceivable. We use sailing not only as an experience or sport but also as a sustainable medium that connects humans to the water through their bodies. We detect the interoceptive rhythm of the sea through the reaction of sailing boats to its forces.

We processed and visualized raw data collected through a sailing session. Simultaneously, we detect real-time HR data through visual media data processing, a biometric overlay of the two beats. We aim to promote sailing as a unique and deep way to experience the water, as well as spread the awareness of the intimate, visceral connection between humans and the sea.