record RECORD (Hybrid Sculptural Object)
About:
With the work ‘RECORD Record’ a skeleton-like structure sits passively on the gallery’s floor. Two separate video feeds are being projected at either end of its structure which merges somewhere in the structure’s center.
The structure was made up of 14 photo drying racks (made of a black mesh with a wood frame and measures 36″ x 36″) which I found discarded by the photography department at OttawaU. They were then spaced out a few inches apart from each other and held together by some red wool (previously used in The Skinning of Memory (VP2) installation) which was tied to a nail at the top of frames.
Because of the video being projected from either end of the structure, one cannot be certain where one video feed begins and the other ends.
Thoughts on Record. Record
record Record explores how past and present media technology share one thing in common, that is, their ability to mediate the relationship of memory and self identity to a specific space and time.
On the surface, the process by which media technology engages the self is through its promise of faithfully recording, storing and playing back the memory of an event, usually as an auditory and/or visual representation.
However, over time, the process in which this is achieved has evolved significantly, from something opaque and definable such as records, cassette and video tapes to something transparent and elusive – MPEGs, streaming music and video. At one-time analogue media such as a record player allowed for the engagement all the senses, as well as an understanding of its origins, the wood, metal and mechanisms which made it work.
With the introduction of digital and virtual technology, the focus has become much more singular, focusing on the engagement of the auditory and visual, while masking its physical attributes through printed circuits and code.
John Naccarato, record RECORD, The Obscure Objects of Desire and the Rise of the Technological Chimera Exhibition, Video Excerpt 1’10”, AXENEO7, Gatineau, QC, 2010
