How To Be Seen

As a remote student to School For Poetic Computation (SfPC), Joseph experiences the people and space of the school through cameras, screens and software. How to be seen attempts to bring the artist into the physical space that he has never physically experienced through an interactive, streamed live coding performance.

The performance consists of a tablet which displays a live stream of the artist. Throughout the exhibition, he writes programming code live to control a second screen — a digitally transformed version of the video stream. The produced graphics use depth and dimension to suggest that the artist’s image is being projected out of the screen and into the gallery space itself.

Initially, viewers of the piece might not understand that the artist is present through the live stream. But this is revealed when viewers pick up the headphones and engage with Joseph directly, interrupting and becoming a part of the performance. Visitors are invited to take “Joseph” in their hands and show him around the gallery, becoming his voice and avatar. Through this interaction, How to be seen explores themes of visibility, control and dependency.

Materials

Webcams, computer, screen, tablet, OBS & OpenFrameworks.

Press: https://www.creativeapplications.net/maxmsp/sfpc-spring-2019-student-showcase/

An Ipad and screen, wall mounted side by side showing the artist live, but one is digitally transformed.
Close up of the screen showing an image of the artist constructed out of pyramid like shapes.
A person in conversation with the ipad version of the artist.