What do you mean when you say “I” ?

… is an interview project with a twist. The performance consists of a small table, two chairs and a recording device. I’m sitting on one side, blindfolded and a visitor is sitting across from me. I asked the question “what do you mean when you say I“ ? I do not ask any further questions. The visitor decides the length of the answer and is free to end the session at any time.

After the visitor has left the room, without ever having seen or touched him or her, I immediately create a “ portrait”, a visual representation as it spontaneously evolves from my subjectively perceived essence of this person. The transference from a sensory perception to an image, a visual representation, is challenging , brings stereotypes to light and raises questions about the importance of appearance.

The portraits are then exhibited anonymously, challenging participants to locate an image that might represent their “I” , causing another complex, perceptual process. A room-sized sound collage of the recorded voices is further challenging participants to leave the plane of appearance and trust their deeper senses.

Multi media installation, including digital painting and audio, artist collective, Asheville NC, 2012