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Get Chills From a CGI ASMR Video [Premiere]

Get online healing and unconditional care from Pinar & Viola's 'Made You Come Here.'

Still from Made You Come Here. Courtesy of the artists

Sometimes we all need a little TLC, and sometimes that care can come right from your screen. Such is the idea behind ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos, which use a chorus of soft, whispering sounds and various often mundane task-driven images to relax the viewer and create a tingling sensation in the head, spine, and scalp area—a sensation sometimes referred to as a "head orgasm."

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It has spawned a whole community dedicated to its practice and study which, according to the ASMR University website, dates back to a forum post made in 2007 when user okaywhatever started a thread called "Weird Sensation Feels Good." Now, the concept has inspired Dutch artist duo Pinar & Viola to create a new video, Made You Come Here, based on ASMR and the idea of on-screen healing. It's their second video exploring this phenomenon, the first Mother Earth in Paris was released last year at COP21 so Mother Nature could "offer her universal wisdom" to the climate conference.

Still from Mother Earth in Paris. Courtesy of the artists

"In these two videos, we let the protagonist offer unconditional care for strangers, for anyone who is watching them," explains the duo to The Creators Project. "In ASMR many of our intimate desires are revealed, like our longing for connection and care. These are qualities that people intensely long for in these stressful times. In these anxiety-ridden times, ASMR’s healing and relaxing properties have the potential to sooth the viewer. ASMR works because we feel so at ease and emotionally connected with our screens, feeling so personal and impersonal at the same time. Using this sensual and enchanting technique, allows us to spread a message of altruism and environmental awareness."

Still from Made You Come Here. Courtesy of the artists

The duo first came across ASMR while on YouTube, discovering ASMR artist TonyBomboni, who uses roleplay through the screen to interact with viewers—they get haircuts, reiki treatment, and drink wine with him. In Made You Come Here a bald, caring computer-generated man whispers to you in binaural sound, holding his hands up, complimenting you, telling you to relax and that he loves you. You might find it a little weird or disturbing, but that could be because you're just not used to someone being so nice to you online.

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"Indeed, some might find this video a little creepy," the artists say. "The healer can give the viewer the feeling that some personal boundaries are being crossed. The extent to which he is altruistic and caring could lead some to feel suspicious. He is particularly generous because he doesn’t ask for anything in return. We’re not used to receiving intense kindness from a stranger, let alone a virtual being living in my device. The fact that he’s a little creepy also makes him more exciting. With this video we wanted to create a contemporary environmental peace message filled with mystery and sensuality."

Still from Made You Come Here. Courtesy of the artists

So the idea behind the video remains a charitable one, like much of the ASMR videos. It's something you can experience through your laptop or smartphone that's hopefully going to make you feel a little better for a bit, no strings attached. Look at it as a kind of antidote to the usual hectic flow of life online, an affectionate stopgap.

"Much of our time is spent looking at a screen and interacting with technology. So it better be a pleasant exchange. The more digital our lives become, the more we desire emotionally fulfilling and authentic experiences," note the artists. "We want our devices to be in sync with us, and for them to add something meaningful to our lives. We want to feel understood and touched by the technologies we use. ASMR videos are all about this desire. For example, some ASMR videos employ role-playing that give the sensation of a love affair between the viewer and the screen. In our video we aim to merge a virtual and an emotional human connection seamlessly together while opening up the imagination of the viewer."

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Check out Made You Come Here below:

Click here to visit Pinar & Viola's website.

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