This project is addressing the weak signal of the power of suggestion. We want to explore how one element can influence another and suggest a visual or auditory outcome. Based on the audiences observation of the first element their interpretation of the second is affected.
A potential example of this would be a layered image, consisting of multiple images all semi-transparent and superimposed over each other. Each image is individually visible when focused on, however difficult to detect among the other images. Accompanying this layered image would be a sound track specifically related to one of the images. As audience members approach the work, the sound they hear is suggestive of a particular subject matter and therefore, that is the image their brain will pick out from among the layers.
We will explore having both sound and image as the dominant element, investigating how each can influence people. They key element in this project is how the audienceās interpretation is subconsciously effected. Because of this we will prototype each element and see how viewers react before developing the work based on user feedback. We also want to investigate involving the audience in the suggestion, through the possible use of sensors. Perhaps the work influences the audience and their reaction to the work then re-influences the work itself, changing the visual or auditory element in real-time, creating a closed loop of influence.
We intend this installation to be set up in a gallery type āwhite spaceā so focus is given to the images and sound on display. The work will consist of multiple image and sound pairings, however as the relationship between each pairing is so important, they will be displayed in different spaces or at different times so that they do not interfere with each other.
Weak signals are aspects of an environment which are hard to detect and so are often overlooked (Charlton, J., 2018). Some of the most interesting weak signals are those that exist within everyday human interaction. These are the signals and subtle communications we frequently rely on as humans, and yet are often unaware of. One of these signals is the power of suggestion.
Suggestions have the power to completely change how we as humans observe things. āIf you expect something to happen - if someone or something suggests to you a specific outcome - your expectations of that outcome play a major role in its occurrence. The expectation or suggestion alone, often unconsciously, changes your behaviour and your responses to help bring into reality the outcome you are expectingā (Campbell, 2015).
The 1892 rabbit-duck drawing illusion (seen below) is an excellent example of this (Rabbit-duck illusion, 2018). Depending on how the drawing is viewed, both a duck and a rabbit are visible. However, if shown the image with the pretense of it being a rabbit, people are more likely to see the rabbit first. The suggestion, is what manipulates and directs a personās view. In our work, it will be an auditory or visual suggestion that determines how the work is interpreted.
Chris Carter is another artist who uses suggestion in her work. Her line drawings are done in such a way that they suggest motion and form. (Chris Carter Artist, 2018). The lines themselves are quite simple, but they are suggestive of something far more complex.
The following video of a jumping telephone pole suggests a sound (KiddosOldChannel, 2011). The way the image moves and reacts suggests magnitude and sound, and watching it over, we almost felt like we could hear the pole hitting the ground.
Another sound and image suggestion combination, is the 4ā33ā composition by John Cage. This 1952 piece is a composition consisting of no deliberate sounds and so as a result, the ambient noise in the environment takes focus in the work (Pritchett, 2009). In this way Cageās work also explores weak signals. The suggestive element to the work is based in the relationship between the visual sheet music and the auditory performance. Without the sheet music, the performer might have been assumed to be doing nothing, but with the composition it becomes clear that the performer is actually playing a piece that simply has no notes. The visual sheet music influences an audienceās understanding of the auditory element in the work.
Finally, Lisa Reihanaās 2015 installation āIn Pursuit of Venus [Infected]ā links sounds and images in a back and forth manor. As one sound becomes louder the audience is encouraged to seek out the image to which the sound belongs, suggesting a way of viewing the work. In a similar sense, when a new image appears on the right of the screen it suggests a new sound and the audience listens in for the accompanying audio. The way the work directs an audience is very subtle, but the visual and auditory elements in this piece definitely influence the audienceās perception of the work as a whole (Auckland Art Gallery, 2015).
Each of the above works has an element of suggestion in the way the elements of the work interact. The power of suggestion is a weak signal because it is present in all of these works and yet it is not the focus or direct intention of the work. We intend to use suggestions in our own work in a similarly subtle way - hidden amongst the background ānoiseā so to speak.
Sounds will suggest images, images will suggest sounds and ultimately the work will suggest a way in which to be observed. The work itself will determine how it is viewed, by using suggestion to position the viewer. Suggestion is the weak signal because it will be subtle enough to be overlooked, and yet it is celebrated as the hidden key element in every piece.
Software and Production Materials:
Photoshop - Already on personal laptop
Processing - Already on personal laptop
Arduino - Already on personal laptop
Digital Audio Workstation - Already on personal laptop
Printer - Printsprint is accessible at AUT
White Space - Book the āblackboxā space at AUT
Screen - Book colab projector/tv screen
Speakers - Speakers built into āblackboxā space
Sensors - Already owned, and can also be purchase from Jaycar and Surplus Electronics
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. (2015, July 20). Lisa Reihana: in Pursuit of Venus (infected) [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmMRF5nw9UI
Campbell, P. (2015, April 21). 4 ways the power of suggestion can change your life. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/imperfect-spirituality/201504/4-ways-the-power-suggestion-can-change-your-life
Chris Carter Artist. (2018). Retrieved from https://chriscarterart.com/
John Cage. (2018, August 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 27, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage
KiddosOldChannel. (2011, July 12). Rope jumping electricity pole [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bākczcf4AI
Pritchett, J. (2009). What silence taught John Cage: the story of 4ā33ā. Retrieved from http://rosewhitemusic.com/piano/writings/silence-taught-john-cage/
Rabbit-duck illusion. (2018, May 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 20, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit%E2%80%93duck_illusion