Vivisector, 2015
Stills from the two parts of a video installation, 2015, viewed through a small hole in a door.
The viewer sees a short video loop showing a figure wading in to the sea, while wasps hover above. The instant they try to open the door, there is a sudden change. The figure disappears and sacred Islamic geometry radiates from the sun.
This one had a literary as well as a neurological source, being partly inspired by Patrick White’s The Vivisector (1970), an uncomfortably accurate examination of how an artist’s mind works. For me, the pivotal moment of this long novel comes near the end, when the protagonist receives a letter describing how a humble woman’s life changed for ever when she was stung by a wasp and became instantly aware of a deep universal connectedness. Prior to receiving the letter, the artist believed himself unique in his insights.
The installation relied on an arduino on the back of the door, which triggered a switch between two separate projections when the viewer tried to open the door.
I was lucky to be invited back to Aberystwyth to make this installation, where I had technical assistance from Rui Gato and David Negrao (https://www.davidnegrao.com/).
Viewer's were restricted to this area to view the work through a 'window' in the door.
The projection switched when they tried the latch.
The 'window'.
The hidden structure. Projection screens in three places: sky/sun at the back; sea at the front; wasps/cherubs on two circles above the sea.
A single projector was suspended above the door.