FANTASMAGORIE

2011

Drawing on the concept of phantasmagoria—the magic lantern, a late 18th-century French theatre technique—Fantasmagorie was presented as part of A Surreal Masquerade at the Beaverbrook Provincial Art Gallery. Skype-mediated performances by both a professional and non-professional performer are choreographed by the artist. The work connects the projected image of the computer screen to the historical tradition of the magic lantern through a sequence of lo-fi surreal images.

Flaws and features of the medium are exploited, including internet lag, two-pass interlacing jaggies, pixelation distortion and cursor arrow; rather than minimizing these technical limitations, they are taken up as structuring elements. In this way, the work treats the digital interface as apparition as it flickers between states, conjuring the perceptual uncertainty of early projection technologies.

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[4:53] digital video / rear-projection installation