PARANOIA
This installation aims to share experiences of one being stared at with my audience and to evoke the participant’s own past experiences of being stared at.
Time: 4 weeks
Group Project
Materials: Premiere, soft fabric, wire
IDEATION
The piece begins with a video of 31 volunteers projected onto a curved silk screen that envelops the viewer to simulate a normal social space.
The volunteers all eventually turn towards the viewer, and the video zooms into their eyes.
The initial sketch and where the viewer should sit.
the shape of the screen are calculated so it will be a perfect curvature that provides a 360degree experience.
EDITING
First Iteration of one observer
Sitting a certain distance from the screen, viewers feel the eyes completely surrounding them, filling their peripheral vision.
The sense of being stared at will likely trigger discomfort and a feeling of disempowerment, but the participant cannot do anything except to bear the stares and return eye contact.
Final production
SHOWCASE
The eyes also signal social hierarchy, since the top eyes look down on the participant while the bottom ones look up, leading the participant to think about his or her own social positioning among a wide range of people.
Take-Aways
The goal of this project was to let the audience feel this uncomfortable feeling and this unseen pressure; however, there could've been more research done as well as other body parts that may lead to a stronger impact and stronger music for the background.