Magnifying Moments, 2017; Steel, wood, video, and mixed media, 10’ x 10’ x 4’

Collaboration Artist: Jacob Phillips

The ancient art form of shadow play accompanied with the dated process of video interests us as vehicles to create an intimate narrative between two people. As artists that explore interactivity as an important component of contemporary art, we are attracted to creating a situation in which the viewer is able to directly effect the outcome of the piece. We created a 10’ X 10’ circular wood and plastic structure that acted as a screen. Behind this screen, the viewers were invited to activate the space by performing on the fabricated steel penny farthing bicycles and along with a video composed of magnified natural environments. The video was created by Jacob Phillips and the bicycle was fabricated by Stacey Holloway. As the participants performed, their kinship with each other and the natural world are then projected to the community as an act of a healthy lifestyle.

The fabricated steel bicycle frame allowed the two participants to face each other while generating an active scene. By doing this, the partakers are able to feed off of each other’s actions as well as the actions of the projected magnified environments. They become the focal point of the projected scene, therefore have control over what it is they are sharing with the rest of the viewers. We, as the fabrication artists, cannot predict what each participant will do, making the piece a collaboration between ourselves and the community.