This installation juxtaposes two built structures; the first is a reproduction of Wilhelm Reich's 'orgone accumulator' and the second a space an abstraction of a laminar flow cabinet large enough for a person to sit in . This second space is a proposition for a laboratory that could be used to conduct spatial perception self-experiments on one's own body. This space built with steel sheets and insulated for sound is angular, tilted, and as it offers no external viewpoint requires a focused engagement with one's vestibular systems to find a balanced position.

The 'orgone accumulator'
This device was conceived and designed by Wilhelm Reich. It is based on his own pseudo-scientific experiments that have been criticized for their unsubstantiated claims and Reich’s own lack of scientific training. The theory behind this device is derived from Reich’s theories of psy-chology. A colleague of Sigmund Freud, Reich was continuing Freud’s
research into the libido. As a reversal of Freud’s own theory, Reich be- lieved that psychological neuroses resulted from unfulfilled libido, rather than the cause of sexual dis-functions. Reich was searching for a measurable form of the libido. Reich’s work in this field is still respected, despite his fall into disrepute as a result of his ‘orgone’ research. This early research into sexuality in psychology led to a theory that the hu-
man organism was able to create a state of balance through the release of an orgasm. This orgasm needed to have what Reich termed ‘orgastic potency’ in order to return to a relaxed state of being. In order to have this ‘orgastic potency’, one’s body needed to have a certain amount of ‘orgone energy’. ‘Orgone energy’, Reich believed, was a ubiquitous energy that came from the sun, and pervaded all forms of life, and in fact was the source of all life. He discovered it through his pseudo-scientific experiments. In order to accumulate this orgone energy, to return the body to a state of healthy balance, one could sit in this box, made up of particular materials, which would function to attract and accumulate the energy within it, and therefore within the body. The box, called the ‘orgone accumulator’, is made up of an exterior layer of press-board (upson board in original instructions, very close to MDF today), then layers of steel wool and fiberglass (in this model, 2 layers
of each, alternating), and galvanized sheet metal on the inside. A seat could be added if wished. These materials were chosen for their particular material qualities; steel would attract the orgone energy, and fiberglass would hold on to it, thus accumulating the energy. The door was to be smaller than the rest of the box to allow for air flow. One was to sit in this box up to once a day for general health benefits, the time span being open to how one feels in the accumulator; “One should continue with the orgonomic irradiation as long as one feels comfortable and ‘glowing’. The sensitive person will, after a while have ‘had enough.’ This manifests itself in the feeling of ‘nothing happening any longer.’” There were hazards to its over-use, and instructions on how to reduce one’s amount of orgone energy. The box was not supposed to be near fluorescent lights, as these released negative orgone energy, detrimental to the body.