The Eyes, was a multi-step performance project.
Step 1: I sat down in the DSU and observed where my eyes and
others were attracted to. I noticed that
they seemed to pay attention not only what was in front of them but the tables,
the banners, and the people on the stairs.
Step 2: I went home and videotaped my eyes for as long as I
could stare at the camera. This turned out to be about 5 minutes. I did this a
few times and then watched them on the computer to see which one seemed more
captivating.
Step 3: Make a video. I used an HP movie maker system on my
computer to make a movie of my eyes; I had the 5 minute clip of my eyes play
back to back for about 30 minutes. From
there I sat alongside a test subject and watched the video on a widescreen TV
and an old school TV to see how it looked, mainly because I had no idea what
kind of TV that I would get the day of the performance. I wanted to be sure no
matter what the eyes would fit.
Step 4: Getting permission. I had to get the project
approved by campus activities to secure a spot and then I had to go to the
Communications department to get the approval for the TV’s around campus and
the CNU channel 9 to play my eyes during my performance (which they failed at
getting them to play at the right time, instead played them hours after my
performance was done)
Step 5: Set up and watch my performance grow. This went pretty well, at first it took some
prompting to get people to actually go sit in front of the TV, but after the
lunch crowd picked up there were many people who willing sat or stood by and
looked into my eyes.
Overall I was happy at how this project turned out. I was
proud of how the eyes came out and how you could clearly see them from many
different place and heights in the DSU Street.
If I did it again I would have fought harder for a projector so that I
could have made them even larger and in your face. My hopes were that people would feel
something, I did not want them to feel a certain way, I think that everyone
sees/interprets another person soul differently. As people came and talked to
me it was apparent that every person did take it differently, some were creped
out, others said that it was cool, some thought something bad was going to
happen, probably the best one was when someone felt like they were getting to
know me on a new level. If I could
change one thing I would have added a little note about the piece, some people
said that it was a lot more effective after they found out what it was about. I
got my inspiration for this piece from Marina Abramovic, I really enjoyed her
piece. I think that the people that had strong reactions from staring into her
eyes was due to the fact that they were feeling her soul or her inner feelings
coming outward.
My Partner in this project was Stephanie Barstow, who helped
me document the project. She is the one that took the photos while I videotaped
it.
