A performance and therapy project by Jasmin Schaitl
made for and within the “Phygital Flesh” garden project
an immersive magic realism project by artistic directors Asher O’Gorman & Charlotta Ruth & Klimentina Li
04.04.2026 @ Rustenschacherallee, Vienna AT
Jasmin Schaitl introduces Phygital Therapy, an emerging somatic-contemplative methodology that investigates the increasingly entangled relationship between the human nervous system and personal digital devices. The technique combines somatic, contemplative, and therapeutic practices with a hybrid instrument that is both physical and digital: the personal phone.
The methodology was developed through an intensive two-year apprenticeship between Jasmin and Freyja Björnsdóttir in the vast, icy landscapes of Iceland, where environmental isolation and prolonged exposure to low-stimulation conditions provided the basis for an extended period of experimental observation and practice.
Phygital Therapy operates through the activation of haptic surfaces, mental textures, and behavioural frictions. By bringing conscious attention to the micro-interactions between body, screen, gesture, and interface, the method identifies accumulated patterns of physical, cognitive, and digital stress. These frictions are then systematically exposed, amplified, and released through a series of guided somatic and contemplative protocols.
Preliminary longitudinal observations indicate that repeated engagement with the technique may produce measurable shifts in patterns of device interaction, attention allocation, and habitual user behaviour. In particular, participants have reported a sustained reduction in compulsive digital engagement and an increased awareness of the physical and psychological conditions underlying phone use.
Phygital Therapy therefore proposes a new therapeutic field located between somatic practice, contemplative science, and digital behavioural research—one in which the smartphone is no longer treated merely as a technological object, but as an extended haptic organ of the contemporary nervous system.
With more Artistic Contributions in the magic realism project setting by: Ronja Kappl, Pavel Naydenov, Clark Phillips, Paul Ebhart
photos by Ronja Kappel
Jasmin Schaitl 