Artisphere is going to be hosting an installation by NYC-based video artist Maya Ciarrocchi this fall. Before the work goes on display on Oct. 1, however, Ciarrocci needs members of the public to come to Artisphere to have their “video portrait” taken.
Participants who drop by between noon and 2:00 p.m., from Sept. 11 and 15, will be asked to stare at a video camera for nearly half an hour.
“Participants are welcome to move their body but are asked not to look away from the lens,” Artishpere said in a press release. “The work is very much about identity and what happens emotionally and physically when a body is asked to simply be in space and time. Additionally, the project aims to illustrate how place is defined by its inhabitants.”
More about the exhibit and how to volunteer, after the jump.
From Artisphere:
Artisphere presents an opportunity for the public to be part of the art with the latest installment of Maya Ciarrocchi’s newest video work, I’m Nobody! Who Are You, in the Works In Progress (WIP) Gallery from Saturday, September 10-Friday, September 23, 2011. The project will be shot from start to finish using members of the public from Sunday, September 11-Thursday, September 15. Ciarrocchi will edit the film during her onsite residency from Friday, September 16-Friday, September 23. The final work will be shown October 1-31 on Artisphere’s Town Hall Video Wall. Please note that from September 10-28, other video works by Ciarrocchi will be played in rotation on the Town Hall Video Wall during her onsite residency in the WIP Gallery. This interactive video project is an example of Artisphere’s continued commitment to engage the public in artistic creation as well as provide opportunities through exhibitions and programming to see and experience innovative and thought-provoking art.
Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name, I’m Nobody! Who are You?, is a multi-channel video installation comprised of life-sized video portraits exploring the question of identity and whether the mediated image can adequately reflect the reality of the subject. Each subject reveals a subtle, but visible, shift in response as his or her countenance evolves over time for an imagined viewer through the lens of the objective, ever present, camera. For the viewer, the tension of watching and being watched only subsides when he or she allows for a state of suspension away from place, time and narrative construct.
To “pose” for the piece all that is required is to stand in front of the camera for less than 30 minutes. Participants are welcome to move their body but are asked not to look away from the lens. The work is very much about identity and what happens emotionally and physically when a body is asked to simply be in space and time. Additionally, the project aims to illustrate how place is defined by its inhabitants. To be involved in the video work, members of the public can come to drop-in hours from Noon to 2pm every day from Sunday, September 11- Thursday, September 15 or reach out directly to the artist at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.