directions for usefullness

installation views
directions for usefullness (2014)
site-specific installation 
Object (wood, glass, electronics, bell, plug in chord), acrylic and foam base, vinyl image on walls)
model: Sara Angelucci

The ubiquitous use of the cell phone dislodges the corporeal self from everyday sounds and sights. One forgets to look up at the sun, or to take mindful walks. In their place are ring tones, message swishes, and arrival chimes; message threads and lead-in images for announcements, directing views inward, well within the confines of personal space. What happens when the person you emailed isn't who you actually emailed; or if the image you send of yourself isn’t exactly you? There's a potential for surprise in a transmission. A doubling of image and sound takes place in an exchange. Both image and sound are sent and received. In transmission, there is a change that occurs however imperceptible, in a third, intercepting space. (excerpt from my statement)

Presented as part of:

SURVOYEURISM: RECONSIDERING SURVEILLANCE
The Open Gallery, OCAD University
Featuring works by: Patrick Cederberg & Walter Woodman, Germaine Koh, Sean Martindale, Kate McQuillen, Paola Poletto and Tom Sherman

The ubiquity of surveillance in contemporary society has brought forth a dual response in the general public: those who vehemently battle the rising invasiveness and seek to maintain privacy, and those who actively give over private information to others. There is growing inclination to watch others go about their daily lives, and these voyeuristic tendencies continually dominate everyday life.

Survoyeurism: Reconsidering Surveillance examines the blurring of surveillance and voyeurism in society in order to encourage a more mindful consideration of the ease to which information is accessed and exchanged. Through works of installation, print and video, the artists in this exhibition demonstrate how acts of oversharing and instances of watching/being watched can affect individuals both online and in person. 

- curatorial statement by Nives Hajdin