Qì (气)
Intrigued by the practice of aura photography in New York’s Chinatown, with the knowledge many of us would not have the chance to visit as our borders are closed, we collaborated with Helena Dong to come up with a way of visualising your aura through digital mediums. This aura is also known as your Qì (气).
To capture your Qì with our Instagram filter, tap your phone screen and wait for the colours to appear. Bear in mind that your Qì is always fluctuating given your circumstances and emotions, which will lead to different outcomes at different times.
The following guide outlines the general concepts to help decipher your Qì, but you may find that not all interpretations are relevant to you.
ANATOMY OF AN AURA PHOTOGRAPH
TOP (above the forehead)
Your consciousness. Your feelings or thoughts experienced in the present moment.
ARCH (colours that stretch over the top of the photo)
Your goals, aspirations or things that you regard as important.
LEFT SIDE OF PHOTOGRAPH (right side of your body)
The ‘yang’ side of your body. This is related to how others perceive you.
RIGHT SIDE OF PHOTOGRAPH (left side of your body)
The ‘yin’ side of your body. This is related to how you perceive yourself.
THROAT
How you communicate and project yourself vocally.
HEART
Indicative of your heartspace.
COLOUR INTERPRETATIONS
RED
Strength, resolve, action, practicality, passion, fearlessness, restlessness, friction, physical body, material world. Best to reconnect with nature to avoid being over-worked.
ORANGE
Creativity, confidence, independence, collaboration, emotional aloofness, sensuality, relationship, joyful exchange. To revive energy, get into water.
YELLOW
Optimism, enthusiasm, open-mindedness, happiness, freedom, awakening, intelligence, comfort, personal power. Understand your ability to positively influence others.
TAN
Strategy, intelligence, detail, caution, logicality, plan, security, structure, long-term commitment. Build your foundation, but you do not have to keep all your feelings to yourself.
GREEN
Rest, healing, growth, goals, determination, ambition, competition, unconditional love, life force, self-assertion. A natural ability to make way for self-care and balance your needs.
TURQUOISE
Influence, dynamic quality, organization, multi-tasking, communication. Beware of boredom when you’re compelled to focus on one thing only.
BLUE
Calmness, eased nervous system, balance, trust, devotion, loyalty, support, intuition, sensitivity, inner knowledge, serenity. Take a few moments of solitude to reflect.
INDIGO
Intuition, inspiration, lucidity, empathy. You exercise extreme sensitivity to others’ energy. However, remember to also live in the moment.
VIOLET
Visionary, spirituality, unconventionality, playfulness, charisma, power, knowledge, innovation. You feel an urge to achieve significant goals—in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed, believe in your vision and tdon’t hesitate to share it with others.
SOFT PINK
Gentleness, pleasance, love, sensitivity, ideals, romance, creativity, material vs spiritual. You heal others with your presence.
MAGENTA
Originality, creativity, innovation, individualism, optimism, humour, determination, intelligence. Doing things your way is necessary, but you may feel less understood by others.
WHITE
Destiny, intensity, cosmic wisdom, transcendence, openness, receptiveness, truth, positivity. Your presence alone is enough to deflect negative energy, and you may also be waiting for answers.
Helena Dong is an interdisciplinary designer with a keen interest in the expression of archetypes, multi-functionality and methods of collaborative exchange. She conceptualises and produces projects that intersect fashion, art, performance, film, augmented reality and other digital media.
