fighting for
freedom of facial expression

(non-)triggered

Body Convention

creation date: 1993

Body Convention is an interactive artwork where the audience gains direct and wireless control over the movement of another person's body. A small doppler radar creates an electro-magnetic extension of the subject's personal zone into space. The output signals of the radar movement detector are directly connected to the subject's facial and plexus muscles, pulling them into jerks and twitches as soon as someone enters the personal enhanced zone.

The nature of the doppler signals emanating from the radar gunnplexer, increasing amplitude on closer proximity and no signal on non-movement, causes increasingly powerful and jerky electrical shocks on the closing in on the body. This sent a perceptive dualistic image to the observer; pain in the face and an expression of nonchalance by the raising of the shoulders.

Act was part of my graduation project at Art Academy Minerva Groningen Netherlands in 1993.

Related project: BuBL Space, a personal ring free zone.