Emotion Vessels:
Rituals for Emotional Grounding | 2025
Emotion Vessels is a sensory-based design tool that invites emotional grounding, mindful presence, and symbolic healing through the act of fermentation. Developed as part of an inquiry into the intersection of emotional wellbeing, Korean ritual practices, and behavioral health, this reimagines the everyday act of food preservation as an intimate emotional ritual.
Can slow, sensory rituals function as tools for emotional regulation?
How does the act of preparation and waiting shape emotional state more than the final outcome?
“But fermentation is an act of waiting[…] That becomes a moment to look back at yourself.”- Hongssangri, Master artisan of green plum fermentation, Korean Food Master no. 35
Research
This investigates how microbial time and sensory repetition influence emotional regulation.
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Psychobiotics influence mental well-being through gut-brain biochemical regulation. Research demonstrates measurable antidepressant and anxiolytic effects.
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Conscious routines trigger neurochemical changes including increased GABA, serotonin, dopamine and BDNF and reduced cortisol, supporting relaxation, emotional regulation and stress resilience.
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Onggi’s microporous ceramic structure enables gradual CO2 diffusion and retention of beneficial microbes, creating conditions that support lactic acid bacteria and develop more complex fermentation flavor.
Fermentation as ritual slows time, enabling biochemical stress reduction and emotional grounding.
Ideation
Ritual Flow
Guidebook