Nov 5, 2024

How your heart beats with art

The results are coming in: visitors reveal which artworks made their hearts race at the AGO 

By Wendy So
Art Rate Monitor results on phone screen

What are the physiological impacts of looking at art? The AGO aims to answer this question through its newest activation, the Art Rate Monitor. Since its launch on September 17, the AGO has welcomed over 4000 participants who uncovered how their heart reacts to art as they wander through galleries. The experience encouraged art lovers and casual visitors of all ages to explore how they experience art. At the end of their visit, each participant receives a free, personalized digital wrap report to share on social media. Within it, people can see what art persona you are, what colour era you are in and what artwork on view made your heart race and slow down. The Art Rate Monitor was designed by the AGO with Zulu Alpha Kilo and technology partners WXM Tech. 

Meet the team behind this project and hear straight from some participants on their reactions to their results. 

What is the data saying so far? Early results point to Modern Art as the genre that’s stopping people in their tracks and raising heart rates the most. Specifically, Gerhard Richter’s sensitive photo-painting Helga Matura (1966) on view in Moments in Modernism is proving to be a favourite. Many participants spend the most time with it and it was the most effective in calming the heart rates of visitors in their 20s. Visitors aged 30 to 40 are seen to have spent the most time with Otto Dix’s satirical painting Portrait of Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann (1922). Visitors over 40 are captivated by Landscape (1963) by Japanese Canadian artist Kazuo Nakamura making their heart beat the most per minute. Overall, visitors across are in their Greige era, selecting it as their preferred colour palette.  

Try out the Art Rate Monitor at the AGO free with admission, now through November 19, and share your digital wrap report on social media with friends and family. The experience is provided on a first-come, first-served basis on Level 1. For more information, visit ago.ca/art-rate-monitor 

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