What are the limits of our imagination? Can we imagine an apple 100 miles away, or a sound higher pitched that we can hear? Can we project our imaginations into our actual vision?

Vynn and Francis are interviewed by video games designer Berbank Green. He stretches our imagination with a series of exercises (see full list below).

Can you imagine a smell that knocks you out? Can you imagine an apple as large as the moon? How accurate are our imaginations?

Berbank describes his “prophantasic” ability to put an imagined apple on the actual table in his real vision, and how he used this in childhood.

Timestamps:

00:48 Detail of imagining an apple
05:10 Imagining a distant apple
09:00 An eagle’s perception
11:18 Microscopic and earth-sized apples
16:13 Thinking of lots of apples at once
19:30 4D apples
23:48 Inner experience of designing a video game
27:07 Imagining emotions in video games
30:35 Limits of audio imagination
35:17 Prophantasia - imagining things in the real world
40:10 Imagining being something else
51:40 Noticing where language comes from
57:23 Dreaming and the subconscious
64:02 Apple having an eccentric British accent

Show Links:

Teach Your Monster to Read - a video game Berbank made
Berbank’s Twitter account
Miegakure - a true 4D puzzle-platforming game
Fire Kasina with Jane Flowers - earlier episode of this podcast
Consider Phlebas - novel with mind fragmenting

Berbank’s Imagination Exercises:

Imagine an apple
- what does it look like?
- where is it?
- can you smell it?
- taste it?
- feel how heavy it is?
- does it make you remember anything?

OK now test limits:
- Can you see the apple if it's behind you?
- How far away can you make the apple before you can't see it?
  - What is your perspective of the apple at this distance?
- How small can you imagine that apple?
  - What happens when it gets too small?
  - How heavy is that?
  - Can you make it lighter?
  - Can you feel how light your max imagination is?
- How large can you imagine it?
  - What happens when it gets too large?
  - How heavy is that?
  - Can you make it heavier?
  - Can you feel how heavy your max imagination is?
- How many apples can you think of at once?
- How powerful can you make the smell of the apple?
  - Can you imagine it to the point where it's overwhelming?
- Can you imagine a 4 dimensional apple?
- Can you imagine an apple that has a face?
  - That's actually in front of you?
  - That's floating in front of you with sparkling effects and crackling lightning?
  - That's talking to you in an eccentric British accent?
etc. etc

Contact Details:
Twitter: @imagine_apple @SurenVynn @frabcus
Email: imagine@flourish.org
Theme by: @MJPiercello

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