CLEAVING

an
Interactive Video Projection Installation
by

Nino Rodriguez

Project Synopsis:
He speaks: Fear of violence. Delusions of control.

Hands hit: Unseen walls. Fists crash on metal.

The viewer enters: Violates this space. Reality and projection collapse.

The man's voice illuminates a psyche that is frightened of the world and desperate to dominate it. The violence he sees may be real or imagined -- the hands either crush him, or claw against the outside. The space he creates is both intensely private and completely vulnerable. Any intrusion upsets his desperate equilibrium and drives the cycle between fear and control.

Cleaving is an interactive, video-projection installation, using motion sensors to alter computer-controlled video and audio streams. The man's phrases are dynamically joined based on encoded editing rules. Like a musical score, these guidelines ensure that his words follow a specific emotional trajectory. Additionally, the man's turbulent emotional state influences the tempo and pitch of both his voice and the video imagery.

Cleaving is a system and a space that simultaneously represents and re-enacts one person's internal turmoil.
Review:
The subject in Cleaving is a wildly charismatic man, whose unstable emotional responses rise and fall in relation to audience members' proximity. His commentary on matters such as life, sexuality, and spirituality creates a climate of increasing intensity -- a matrix or grid of mixed and matched sounds, thoughts, and images that expose the cycle of the human mind and condition in relation to movement and the interaction of the audience with the piece. Cleaving was designed for the subconscious realization of emotional cycles.

-- Liz Slagus, Education Coordinator, Eyebeam Atelier
Supporting Materials:


A demonstration of Cleaving can be viewed at: http://www.pobox.com/~nino/cleaving_demonstration.html
(Size: 1.7 MB. Format: QuickTime)

To receive a VHS videotape of this demonstration, send a request to nino@pobox.com.

Still images and dialog excerpts from Cleaving can be viewed at: http://www.pobox.com/~nino/portfolio13.html
About the Artist:
Nino Rodriguez is 33 years old and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He studied music theory and holds an MFA in film and video from UCLA.

Mr. Rodriguez's digital media work, short videos, and films have shown at the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum. Major exhibitions include the Dallas Video Festival; the Rotterdam Film Festival, and the World Wide Video Festival, the Netherlands; the Festival of New Cinema and Media Montreal; and at CICV, VIPER, and Alt-X Online. His work has broadcast internationally, including WNET and CANAL+, and has been featured in the Village Voice and at The Robert Flaherty Seminar.

Nino is currently developing new work that examines the ways technology mediates and embodies interpersonal desires.
Further Information:
A complete list of awards, exhibitions, and a bibliography can be found at the following:
http://www.pobox.com/~nino/artbio.html

Portraits of the artist can be viewed at:
http://www.pobox.com/~nino/nino_portraits.html
Contact Information:
Address and phone number may be requested by sending email to nino@pobox.com.
Installation Requirements and Schematic:
Cleaving can be installed in any medium-sized exhibition space with at least one light-colored, flat surface. The space should be large enough for the projected video image to fill the surface about 12 to 16 feet diagonally and have enough space for visitors to walk around behind the video projector. Suggested space size is at least 15 x 20 feet, with the video projector situated roughly 15 feet from the projection surface.

If possible, Cleaving should be somewhat isolated from other exhibits, so that other sights and sounds don't disturb the viewers. People passing by the space containing Cleaving would hear and see glimpses of it, and be drawn in to investigate. There should be minimal ambient lighting so that the video image is fully visible.

On one side of the space are the computer, video projector, audio amplifier, one audio speaker and two motion detectors. On the other side are the video projection surface and the second audio speaker.
Setup and Disassembly:
Preferably, two days are required to set up the installation and address any technical issues that may arise. One day is required after the exhibition to disassemble the installation.
Travel and Shipping:
The artist requires round-trip transportation from New York to the exhibition location. Equipment for the installation may be transported with the artist, or shipped separately.
Security and Insurance:
Because the installation contains valuable equipment, the presenter will work with the artist to provide a reasonable level of security at the exhibition space. The value of the equipment is dependent on the specific items used, but is roughly US $2,000-4,000.
Technical Information:
Computer (provided either by the presenter or the artist)
  • Power Macintosh G3 or later for example, "beige" G3, G4, or any iMac
  • MacOS 8.5 or later
  • QuickTime 3.0 or later
  • CD-ROM drive for installation of program files
  • Hard drive with ~90MB available disk space
  • If Mac does not have video output, requires NTSC video converter, such as Focus Enhancements" iTView.
Video Projector (provided either by the presenter or the artist)
  • If the exhibition space is large, a projector such as Barco or InFocus capable of 1,200 lumens (brightness). If the space is small, a projector such as Sony or Sharp capable of up to 800 lumens.
  • Tripod stand for projector.
Motion Detection (provided by the artist)
  • 2 custom-modified motion-detection sensors.
  • Beehive Technologies' ADB I/O for sensor input. If using G4 Mac or iMac, requires ADB/USB converter.
Audio Amplification (provided either by the presenter or the artist)
  • Standard audio amplifier connected to two speakers.
Power Supply (provided by the presenter)
  • There should be one power supply for the installation equipment
  • 220 volts at 60 hertz.

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