The Guerilla Studio is a great part of SIGGRAPH and each year I can't wait to explore the opportunities and experiences available.  The Guerilla Studio at SIGGRAPH 2006 does not disappoint and I am excited to introduce one of the newest experiences, Soma, the media sanctuary.

Operated by Heather Raikes and Genessa Krasnow, who lead yoga and meditation sessions, the Soma media sanctuary offers SIGGRAPH attendees a physical experience that experiments with media.  It is easy to walk around SIGGRAPH and become physically and mentally exhausted -- a walk through the exhibition floor is enough to make your eyes go crazy and clutter your mind, and the interactive exhibits in Emerging Technologies are fascinating and distracting.  Here we have a service to the attendees, a healthy experience for the mind, body, and soul.

Tucked away in the corner of the Guerilla Studio is the media sanctuary.  With its high ceilings, white surrounds, pillows, and ambient visual screens, the space invites visitors to make them selves comfortable and let the atmosphere take them away; feel the music wash over you and drift into a state of relaxation.  It is the perfect addition to all the hustle and bustle of the conference. 

Each session lasts only a few minutes and is conveniently located down the hall from the rear entrance of the exhibition hall, emerging technologies, the art gallery, and registration.  Take some time to walk down to the Guerilla Studio and slip into the media sanctuary for an awesome immersive experience.

They are also inviting participants to create imagery for the experience.  I think it would be awesome in the future to have the ability for attendees to help create audio as well as the visuals right in the Guerilla Studio.  I hope they return to SIGGRAPH in the future and that everyone has a chance to check out this interesting experience.