Think of your aura as a unique fingerprint of energy that envelops your entire being. This dynamic field is in constant flux, reflecting your thoughts, emotions, and experiences. No two auras are exactly alike, just as no two fingerprints are the same.
Exploring your aura can be an exhilarating journey of self-discovery, illuminating how your thoughts, feelings, and experiences influence your energy field. It offers insights into areas where you might need to channel your energy, practice self-compassion, or where you are already thriving. Understanding your aura allows you to delve deeper into your inner workings and uncover your best self.
The camera
aura obscura uses a specialized camera with biofeedback sensors that capture and analyze the electromagnetic field — the aura — surrounding the human body. While your hands rest on the sensor plates, the camera reads the same family of signals a lie-detector test measures — tiny shifts in the skin's electrical activity — and translates them into color, exposed directly over your portrait. Portraits are shot on analog Instax Wide film, which is why stillness matters: the exposure is long, and your energy does the painting.
A little history
The technology traces back to Semyon Kirlian, the Russian inventor who discovered the Kirlian effect in 1939, leading to Kirlian photography — images of the electromagnetic field around living things. The concept was refined in the 1970s by Guy Coggins, who created the first aura camera.
The tour
aura obscura is the first aura portrait studio to travel and do pop-ups around Southeast Asia — Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bali, Manila, Cebu and counting. Dates are announced to newsletter subscribers first, then on Instagram.