White Noise

Single-channel video, audio, Adobe Aero

2020

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In response to this period of instability in early 2020, I made a new work on the theme of 'Identity and the Meaning of Home' for The Festival of the Impossible. This period of forced isolation has ranged from debilitating to illuminating, with many stops in between. I’ve watched myself and others grasp for respite from uncertainty, squirm inside homes that feel like prisons, and struggle to recognize themselves outside of the comfort of daily routines.
Hitchcock’s 'Rear Window' came to mind as poignantly relevant, as people, suddenly confronted with their own company, started to seek outside distractions. Like many others prior to quarantine, I spent time overbooking my days with appointments and to-do lists. It’s only when I relaxed into the inevitable did I realize the tremendous gift of this opportunity to become curious about my inner state. 
With shelter-in-place in full effect, and my own studio off limits, I converted my apartment into the stage and setting for the different worlds my characters would inhabit. I recreated the experience of 'Rear Window' in my own living room with the aid of augmented reality, but instead turning the lens inward at my various mental states. Each day in isolation brought on a different version of myself: from elated and hopeful, to struggling and despairing. And each of these states received space and acknowledgement within my fictional world. The resulting work is called ‘White Noise’, in reference to the cacophony of voices existing inside my head.