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STILLNESS:
A RESPONSIVE VIDEO INSTALLATION 2003
Overview
Stillness explores how our perceptions are effected by different emotional
states.Stillness is a responsive video installation that reacts to
the audience's involuntary gestures. At times the audience appear centre
stage in the video, while at others they fade into invisibility. As they
become physically still, the installation discards their surroundings
and shows them a world that becomes richer and more dreamlike. But this
dreamworld remains fragile, and any movement destroys the moment.
The installation takes place in a well lit private gallery room. A camera
monitors the audience and a projector displays the generated video on
one wall of the gallery.
Concept
Stillness explores three key concepts woven into a single experience:
the changing relations between audience and author; the tension between
self-awareness and awareness of the wider world; and how everyday bustle
can choke our inner harmonies.
Stillness requires that all members of the audience be completely still.
While they continue to move, they see mostly a strong reflection of themselves
placed into a cold background. The more they move, the faster and more
frantic the video plays. As they become still, and the longer they remain
still for, the more the reflection of their own presence fade away. Initially
the cold background is replaced with simple but rich scenes that remind
the audience of moments of peace. As they retain their stillness, these
simple scenes give way to more abstract vistas, with more absorbing colours,
textures and narrative. If the audience retains their stillness even longer,
the vistas fade away into a dreamlike narrative and they journey through
a myriad of images, stories and experiences. But at any moment, any movement
by any audience member can shatter the illusion and bring reality and
self-reflection rushing back into focus.
Stillnessuses multiple levels of imagery, and monitors the dynamics of
the audience on multiple levels. By interactively blending their reflection
into a changing background,Stillness tempts the audience to interact and
play, and yet only properly rewards them when the entire group gives up
their playfulness and gives in to stillness. It creates a complex relationship
between the audience and the authors, and creates sharing and tension
between different audience members. To really experience the full depth
of the installation, the audience must abandon their desire to play, quieten
their fidgeting and bring themselves,
as a group, into an almost meditative state. By doing so, theyare rewarded
with a richer external world and a deeper internal experience.
download
pdf of "Stillness" |
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