Susan Alexis Collins: In Conversation
Artist(s):
Title:
- In Conversation
Exhibition:
Creation Year:
- 1997
Medium:
- Live installation and Web site
Category:
Artist Statement:
In Conversation aims to examine the boundaries and social customs of two distinctly different kinds of public space, the street and the Internet, each with its own established rules of engagement.
On the street, passersby encounter an animated mouth projected onto the pavement and hear voices triggered by Internet users trying to strike up a conversation. Should anyone choose to reply, a concealed microphone and surveillance camera document and transmit the responses. Through the Web site, Internet users can view the surveillance camera image and sounds. They can type “live” messages, which are converted into speech and broadcast on the street.
In the gallery, In Conversation is a large-scale “live” installation. The surveillance camera image is relayed to a large projection screen. The conversation between the street user and the net user, together with amplified sounds from the street and an original soundtrack by Tim Clarke, creates a live film noir, unfolding in real time.
In Conversation introduces two kinds of public space to each other, along with the etiquette that governs them and the people who frequent them. This project is an experimental exploration into how different environments and means of interaction affect not only our willingness to communicate, but the way and manner in which we do so.
