Frame - 17 February 2018

Her futuristic views on

consumerism gained

MARTINA ROCCA a spot

in ‘The Challenge’.

DESIGN FOR A CLEAN PLANET

Nº 2

Buying a

Better You

In a bid to reduce the amount of stuff

we purchase, MARTINA ROCCA proposes

an emotional-experience economy.

Coera taps into the brain’s plasticity,

improving cognitive skills and giving

a positive boost to human behaviours.

Your concept is slightly controversial, with
mass consumption and multinational corpo-
rations as the stars. MARTINA ROCCA: My
project is inspired by the logic of not revers-
ing but acknowledging the system of mass
consumption – and of shaping an alternative
model adapted to it. We should see the scale
of this phenomenon as an opportunity. If we
succeed in making mass consumerism carbon
neutral, the improvements for the environ-
ment would be huge. Mass knowledge can be
beneficial for a sustainable development of
the human race.

On what fields of knowledge do we need
to focus for sustainable development?
Awareness, civic responsibility, balance,
mindfulness. We certainly need to pay more
attention to understanding and cherishing
the emotional aspects of the individual.
How can we reach self-development and
self-realization without a desire for mate-
rial things? Can we construct our identity
through experiences instead of objects?
Does climate change have emotional impli-
cations for us?

How can we achieve what you’re propos-
ing? With Coera, an educational multina-
tional and ideological organization dedi-
cated to fostering the physical and mental
wellbeing of its customers. It represents
a new system of economy that relies not
on physical consumption but on intangi-
ble services and experiences. In this way,

immaterial values are commoditized by

the market and made available for feasible,

ubiquitous and immediate use.

What do we ‘consume’ with Coera? The

notion of acquiring happiness through a

process of self-analysis, learning and mental

development. Coera offers immaterial values

that have practical effects. An educated,

balanced, self-fulfilled human being faces

life with a much more positive approach:

he or she works better, relates better to

others, consumes better, feels better. Coera’s

services offer long-term satisfaction that is

harder to acquire but lasts longer. The need

for and exploitation of raw resources are

made almost redundant, while the system of

consumption remains alive.

How does Coera work on a practical level?

Coera’s programs rely on brain-training

software and neurotechnologies. Cognitive

training – accessible through Coera’s web-

site or mobile app – offers a daily exercise

for the brain. This program can improve

cognitive skills and change behaviours by

tapping into the brain’s plasticity – its abil-

ity to change. Neurostimulation functions

as a medium for balancing and stabilizing

the equilibrium of the mind during the

training. The promise of Coera is exactly

the same as that of material consumerism:

to become a better version of the person

you are through your purchase. – WG

martina-rocca.com

38 THE CHALLENGE