Interactive Videodisk-Computer Installation
Operates with a hypertrol, miniprojector, Pioneer LDP6000 videodisk
player
Programmed by Sara Roberts
Edition of 1
ROOM OF ONE'S OWN is a computer based installation in which the
viewer initiates operation simply by "looking inside." The viewer/voyeur's
eye movements trigger the video and computer action. Constructed to reference
early "peep shows" as well as feminist concerns about the construction
of female identity, the viewer/voyeur is required to peer into a small,
specially constructed bedroom scene. A tiny video camera digitizes the
eye movements, sends the signal to the computer, which causes the videodisk
to access proper segments.
This piece is obviously not only about voyeurism but also about how
one responds to being looked at.
Several objects are situated in the tiny bedroom. These include a bed,
telephone, table and television. Modular video segments are accessed as
each is looked at. ROOM OF ONE'S OWN is also designed to respond to the
viewer's physical presence via audio sensors placed beneath the mat that
the viewer stands on. Sound and words enter the environment and, like sirens,
invite responses.
The viewer's eyes, themselves, are inserted into a small television
set in the tiny room, making the viewer/voyeur a "virtual" part
of the scene being viewed.
