Binding Matters Reflecting on the Affectivity of a Light Projection

Abstract

This visual essay introduces and critically reflects on a creative research project entitled ‘Spectra on the edge of embodiment,’ undertaken as part of my Master of Fine Art study in 2017 at the College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand. The project was motivated by several questions and concerns: What is the being that is human? How does it interact with the space it occupies? Through a work of art, is it possible to convey to a viewer the metacognitive perceptions I have propagated in connecting to my interiority and how it interfaces with the world? The work took the form of an immersive spatial installation including multiple video projections accompanied by a sound loop. Occupying a darkened room within a gallery setting, it animated uniform wall surfaces and corner spaces. The video imagery originated from textural surfaces, detritus, fluids and other such flotsam and jetsam reminiscent of interior anatomies, compelling viewers to linger and wonder what the body might look like from the inside. Such a detailed imaginary view of the body’s interior environment stems from extensive cadaver studies that I undertook as part of my training as a physiotherapist.