Australian artist's immersive 'death simulator' experience stirs up TikTok buzz

Innovatively using XR goggles, 51-year-old Gladwell created this unique close-to-death experience. The exhibit participants are given the chance to approximate the dying process with the help of modern technology. It's essential, however, to remember that no one can predict with absolute certainty what dying truly feels like.

According to the gallery authorities, there's no shortage of participants eager to try this unusual and provocative experience. Participants lie down on a particular medical bed in the gallery, get hooked up to a heart activity monitoring device, and don XR goggles.

In the simulation, users experience a condition that mimics cardiac arrest or brain death. The gallery authorities assure users that the process is monitored closely and a museum employee accompanies each participant throughout the experience.

In the exhibition catalog, the death simulator is described as:

An interactive installation, inspiring reflection and evoking a sense of unease. The 'Passing Electrical Storms' experience leads participants through a simulated decline of life, providing a unique journey inwards and outwards of the human body.

In an interview with a local outlet, Gladwell elaborates on his work:

The experience is like distancing oneself from their own being and then spiraling towards the enormous universe. By simulating death - by recreating the last minutes of life, I wanted to shed light on the impermanence of human existence. I don't see this as something depressing, but rather as a spectrum of colors and moods.

The death simulator has stirred up a whirlwind of reactions on TikTok. Many of those who have experienced the simulator at the gallery have shared their experiences online.