Prototype

Description:

Prototype was a kinetic video installation by Max Dean exhibited in the front window of Or Gallery and designed to be viewed from the sidewalk. The work played with the threshold between public and private space, inviting viewers to engage with the installation without ever entering the gallery.

The piece featured a closed-circuit video system in which a camera positioned inside the gallery pointed outward through the storefront window, capturing the street. Its feed was displayed on two monitors mounted on motorized arms attached to a revolving metal base. The installation was activated when viewers placed their hands on two cardboard cut-outs of hands affixed to the gallery window. This gesture positioned the viewer within the frame of the camera, which cast their image on the monitors facing toward the street. After twenty-seconds, the monitors' motion shifted from a smooth clockwise rotation to an erratic, randomized pattern, gradually distorting the viewer’s image.

Prototype was built with the assistance of Bob Waters and Diana Burgoyne. 

Presented as part of Luminous Sites.

Curated by Daina Augaitis and Karen Henry.

Video documentation is available upon request.