LASERS!

For this assignment, I decided to explore with the content from my self-portrait, utilizing the physical frames from the video shoot as the found object(s). The narrative already existed, abstractly improvising with the idea of frames, the way people are put into frames based on others’ perception, the way we are forced into frames when we have to define our own identities, and this struggle that exists trying to fit.

I built it out, first as an installation on the wall, mapping each video to the size of the frame. Some of the frames contain a reedited video loop from the full-length video, while others directly reference the frame they are in. (For example, the white frame contains only video of me with the white frame.)

Then I built it out into a more three-dimensional space, by mapping three more video panels into frames on a table. I intended on this being a nice looking bedside table, reminiscent of my grandma’s house that always had tons of photo frames on the tables, but I needed the table to be at a height that would hit the projector’s beam. I wanted to avoid having a second projector and/or computer in this scenario to streamline the equipment side of things.

The full picture involves the wall and table installations together. The wall installation’s video loops flash on and off at points, allowing the viewer to sometimes only see a portion of the footage. I think this helps not be overwhelmed with the amount of videos playing simultaneously.

untitled 2 from Sarah Dahnke on Vimeo.