auras (scotomas from an auric migraine)

have you ever had an auric migraine?

i have.

five exactly.

electric storms on my brain stem.

with pretty little floaters to obscure my vision.

this is my attempt to abstractly touch them.

such terrifyingly gorgeous creatures.

here -> you can have one too...

xo,

shim sham*

*mouse click for a high pitch buzz for the migraine sensitivity to sound effect









origin story
in october 2019 shim sham her first auric migraine attack that included an episode of transient aphasia. known as a basilar or aural brain stem migraine, it creates an electrical storm at the base of the brain stem, which results in visual auras with blind spots (scotomas) sometimes outlined with geometric designs or zigzag lines that slowly float across your vision; shimmering stars. the onset sometimes begins with flashes of light, transient aphasia ~ speech difficulty, and the auric visions, followed by tingling in the hands and face, extreme pain, along with extreme sensitivity to sound and light, before, during and after the migraine. the post drome phase is the aftermath of the brainstorm and can last several days with an overall brain fog, dull headache pain, lethargy and sensitivity to sound and light.

the aura is due to an electrical or chemical wave that moves across the brain. literally it is a brain storm.

the auras that shim sham has seen are the most beautiful and terrifying apparitions ever experienced in waking life. in four years she's had 5. each one was different, beautiful and transformative.

this an attempt at creating a visual and sonic abstraction to share with the world and acknowledge that some of us experience these things, each individually unique and wild.

concept originally inspired by "Depth sorting" by Jakub Valtar from processing 4 examples.

gratitude to joey zaza

made with p5.js and adapted from processing 4.