«Soma» is an interactive installation that enables visitors to engage directly with living brain tissue through a globally unique tactile interface shaped like a prosthetic organ. The work emerges from recent breakthroughs in the field of organoid intelligence, a rapidly developing area of research in which scientists explore the computational potential of lab-grown clusters of neurons, known as brain organoids. Through Soma, visitors are invited to physically interact with this living system. By applying pressure to an artificial, skin-like membrane, impulses are generated and transmitted in real time to a neural organoid currently sustained in a laboratory in Vevey. The organoid’s live response is then translated back into subtle movements of the same membrane, forming a closed feedback loop and enabling a two-way, embodied communication between human and biological intelligence. In the design of Soma, particular attention was given to creating an experience that feels organic, intuitive, and alive. The interface avoids the visual language of conventional digital devices in order to emphasize that the visitor is not interacting with a computer program, but with a living entity. This tactile and sensory approach encourages a more emotional and reflective engagement with the system. Soma was created to make this emerging field accessible to a wider audience and to invite direct confrontation with a possible future of technology. Rather than presenting organoid intelligence as a distant scientific concept, the installation offers a tangible encounter that raises questions about agency, ethics, and responsibility.

As a speculative project, Soma explores how human–machine interfaces might evolve as technology gradually shifts away from silicon-based systems toward more biological, sustainable, and hybrid forms of computation.