Video Projection Loop

I am proposing a piece about distance and memory in space and time. It also has to do with the voyeuristic tendencies of people, their desire to see through the lens of an increasingly anonymous society. The camera has a strange effect of disconnecting the subject and the author. The goal is to transform the space (currently undetermined) by flattening the physical space to a screen or surface through projection, and condense time through an overlap of time.

The arrangement will consist of a video camera, a laptop, a projector and a surface or screen (constructed or existing) on which to project. The projected scenes come from the camera, which are captured and stored on the laptop to be projected at a later time. The camera will capture what is projected as well as anything standing between the screen and the lens.

The delay between the captured scene and the projected scene create a special opportunity to capture a series of scenes, overlaid both in the documentation of the piece as well as in the experience of the viewer. The piece will transform itself as it progresses, as the viewers begin to realize they are participants as well, as anybody who moves in front of the screen will be projected moments later.

I am curious about the possibility of synchronicity. My hypothesis is that there might be unexpected rhythms or patterns that emerge as the piece progresses. At first there will be no footage to project and viewers will lose interest quickly. By the second loop, there might be moments of overlap where the viewer comes across a scene of another (or possibly themselves) from moments earlier. This moment will be captured by the camera and played back moments later. I’m interested to see if this sort of interaction will build upon itself to create a much denser layering than I expect.

I am equally intrigued by the degradation of the imagery depending on the conditions of the space. If there is too much light, the projection will be washed out and will therefore disintegrate in the loop more quickly. In the dark, of course, the projection will be clearer and perhaps the time that is compressed into the scene will represent a greater space-time.

The project is a sort of introverted system of place making. Scenes are collected and built upon one another. It brings into question the ethics of public display, voyeurism and consent, but as it evolves, it may become extroverted. It relies on the viewer’s ability to change, to understand and learn from repetition and possibly voluntarily engage the piece. This commitment from the viewer/participant is crucial to the success of this piece. The goal is to transform the space through a different kind of use, not to record a layered series of images. The documentation (footage incessantly fed back to the projector) becomes the creation of a new place, creating an ambiguous relationship of the viewer/participant and the space/piece.


Possible sites|

















Equipment|

This will likely be an issue. I will need a camera, a projector and a laptop, and I'll need them for more than a day. I will have to get in touch with media resources to hopefully arrange to get this equipment for a longer period.

I'll also need to secure all the equipment. I think a box would be good to protect, and also to conceal, the equipment. The safety of the equipment was a main factor in choosing sites. I was looking for places that I could set up and leave for longer periods of time. Something indoors (perhaps in the window sill of somebodies office) would be ideal, and I could project through the window.

Also, I may need to construct a screen. I toyed with the idea of projecting onto an existing surface (hopefully aligning the projection to the existing texture) but it might lose too much information. Anyway, a screen could be constructed fairly cheaply, maybe out of fabric.