AstridMoors

165 x 200 cm
Acrylic and interactive computer projection on canvas
February 2003

Alterego is an interactive computer projection on a painting. The painting functions as a projection screen, with the image on the canvas surprisingly blending with the projected (moving) images.

The spectator sees the person in an environment of possibilities represented by a pattern of circles. The viewer moves a mouse pointer over the image and triggers responses. Behind the 64 circles are equally as many responses. These responses consist of projected image sequences of different lengths that reinforce, contrast, or differentiate the painted substrate. The result of painted colors and the projected light image is surprising, intense and alienating.

The possibilities are partly visual rhythmic solutions, as if they were automatically generated from a daily routine. As a painting eventually determines its form, these image sequences also arise as an act that the work itself proclaims the process, without a conceptual basis. The remaining sequences show the person in a certain state of mind: closed, shy, thoughtful, illuminated, egocentric, etc. The effect is often humorous and sometimes cynical, but always visually conscious.
In addition, the memory aspect is an extra layer of work. The 64 possibilities consist of 32 sequences and their mirror image or complementary variant.

The mode of interaction is not uniform. A small number of sequences are started by moving the pointer over a circle. The rest are started by selecting the pointer with a circle and then clicking.

The triggered sequence ends automatically after completion (a few seconds) or by the viewer's intervention. However, a number of sequences only stop if the viewer provides the required counter-reaction. This complexity in operating the work shows an additional spectacle and shows surprising differences between individual actors.

The artist is the artwork and the spectator/actor must take the right action for the desired result. The work is not only about the creator but also about the spectator/actor.