Richard O'sullivan - The other image (2008)

 

 

When we look at video, the act of perception can involve several other images apart from - and perhaps quite different to - the one we directly ‘see’ for ourselves.
The other image attempts to isolate some of the different images that lead through to a moment of perception, and seeks to bring them into dramatic conflict.
A tiny surveillance camera has been attached to a ceiling fan that rotates at high speed above the body of the artist in a dimly lit room. The camera transmits wirelessly to a camcorder (resulting in interference on the image). In post-production, the images have been freeze-framed, or slowed down to 30 percent of normal speed, and edited together with material running at its original speed.
The resulting video can be installed, or shown theatrically. In the final piece, the full-speed footage presents a kaleidoscopic arc of light, while the freeze-frames show distorted images of the artist’s body and indicate the image as it ‘actually’ is on the image-track. We witness the stark difference between the image as perceived in the brain/eyes of the viewer, and the image as it was captured by the camera.
The work asks the viewer to reconcile his or her perceptual sense with the intellectual knowledge of the ‘actual’ nature of the image. It offers a hallucinogenic visual experience, and striking images suggestive of despair or madness.
The piece can be installed on a monitor or using a projector, or may be shown on a cinema screen with other works.

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