GMU:Spacial Information Lab/Angelica Sohn

Concept

For my free project Hic et Nunc, I am exploring the theme of communication and perception due to microcosms and macrocosms. In short, each individual lives with two universes: the brain in which a chemical, biological, and electrical activities control our behavior and the surrounding universe in which they constantly receive perceptual (visual and auditory) cues.

For this course, I would like to pursue a derivative of the aforementioned concept. Each movement we make is made up of many small movements, but we often fail to notice how many complex motions have to work correctly to visually communicate our message. In a sense, body langauge itself is a language, and motion without recognizable elements creates a unique identity. Therefore, the work will be presented in a video, in which the contrast of the small and big movements will be separated. Each participant will convey specific emotions or movements according to the direction. The individual movements from the bigger gesture, ie. individual muscular movements, facial muscles, shoulders, twitching, will be grouped and shown all together to present our unspoken and subconsciously understood language. Then, the whole movement will be shown, displaying the complex process of using many different body parts to convey what we thought to be one emotion.

Capturing the moment things break down is also an interesting observation to add to the list of actions. For this part of the concept, I have asked participants, usually in pairs, to drive their Partners to their breaking Point.

Designated actions

sitting still

standing still

smiling/laughing

display of emotions through body language

Working With Blender

After creating a 3D animation of my movements in the performance space, I substituted a few different 3D models I found from internet. Even though the 3 dimensional model became distorted because of the program's glitch, it was very interesting to substitute in another 3D model, which in this case was a sumo wrestler. When the new model walks in my footstep and goes through the glitch, it begins to look foreign and alien.

Angle 1

Angle 2

Angle 3

Recording

My experiment involved groups of two participants who were asked to carry out certain actions, which sometimes came close to dares. Their goal for the experiment was to push the other person to their breaking point, usually through laughter.

When I decided on the topic, breaking points, it was not necessarily to show weaknesses or opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. When we feel emotions, it is expressed through more than words. Our bodies also tell the story. Body language is so subtle yet unbelievably easy. I focused on the smallest details or changes of the body movement after I asked the participants to do a trust fall, catch the falling person, sit still, or not react to their partners' actions. Even when the signs are the smallest of signs, we still understand the silently expressed stories.

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  before the fall

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  after the fall

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  after the fall

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