MEDULLA INTIMATA : A RESPONSIVE VIDEO JEWELLERY PROJECT 2004
Overview
MEDULLA INTIMATA is a hybrid new media work mixing public intervention
with jewellery, fashion, performance, bio-metrics, technology and moving
image. It is a collaboration between award winning Australian video and
installation artist Tina Gonsalves , and London based artist/engineer,
Tom Donaldson. MEDULLA INTIMATA is a necklace that contains a video screen
and biometric sensors. The sensors (using analysis of speech and tonal
range of conversaton) monitor the wearer's emotions to guide real-time
video-generation that evokes a sense of seeing beneath the surface of
the skin, exposing the emotional and physical inner body. Video is displayed
on the screen embedded in the jewellery.
The imagery displayed is an emotional portrait, an exploration into the
secret life of the emotional, physical, spiritual and psychic body of
the wearer. To the wearer, the jewellery is both a foil and a wound. At
times the jewellery will distract attention, and say things that they
are not able to say for themselves. At other times, it will expose internal
thoughts and feelings that the wearer would not wish shown. At times the
portrait will become the dominant force in a conversation, leaving the
wearer isolated by their own self-expression.
public intervention
- Tina Gonsalves and Tom Donaldson will be wearing Medulla Intimata: responsive
video jewellery in the bar, simply chatting with other bar-flys. Medulla
Intimata reflects, comments and interacts with the artists’ conversations,
displaying its bored, neurotic or flirtatious thoughts in generated video
on a screen inside the necklace.
- As you chat with Tom or Tina, Medulla Intimata distracts, leads and
confuses the conversation, leaving both you and the wearer discomforted
by its playful but intimate voyeurism. To add to the sense of voyeurism,
the video output will also be projected on the walls of the space, allowing
others in the room to look-in, judge and resolve that their conversations
will be more interesting or more intimate. Despite the informality of
the show, everyone in the room becomes very aware that they are watching
and being watched, judging and being judged, in the process of simply
making friends and flirting with strangers.
Clutch is a partnership between
video artist Tina Gonsalves &
engineer/artist Tom Donaldson
info@thisisclutch.com www.thisisclutch.com
Produced in co-production with The Banff New Media Institute,
The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada
Medulla Intimata has been supported by The Australia Arts
Council New Media Arts Board, Arts Queensland, and ArtSway.
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