Karo Szmit 2011
I developed this project during an artist residency at the Common Pulse Festival (Durham, Ontario, Canada). Five artists were asked to produce works which would be connected by a common pulse signal.
My idea occured as a reaction to the architecture of the gallery. I utilized an elevated storage room with an opening towards the exhibition space for a light installation. Red, green and blue light spots - blinking to the common pulse – were visible through a white curtain.
Besides the installation's physical connection to the common pulse I attempted to give it the appearance of a mysterious party room. In preparation for the exhibition I recorded myself performing karaoke inside the insallation. I deliberately chose classic pop songs about loneliness, alienation and isolation.
Instead of displaying the documentation of the one-woman-party during the exhibiton I uploaded the clips on Youtube and presented flyers showing a screenshot. By making it more difficult to capture the artwork at large my intention was to deal with self-expression and self-exposure during a performance considering the significance of online social networks. Shifiting the possibility to view my performance to some place outside the exhibition space increases and decreases the voyeuristic aspect at the same time.
