When I was looking to work out the best way to display the eye blinking a Morse Code message I was very keen to think around the idea not just of what the messages should be but also the method of delivery. As discussed in previous posts and shown in my Interim Show '3rd Year Interim Show' (https://carldurban.wixsite.com/website/post/3rd-year-interim-show) I was initially drawn to the idea of projecting on a wall or even larger on a building, like Norwich Castle as discussed in 'Keeping an eye over Norwich' (https://carldurban.wixsite.com/website/post/keeping-an-eye-over-norwich) which I still is a option in the future if I can convince the Norfolk Museum Services to allow me. It might be that I take the idea and look at other locations, for instance another building, either in the city or elsewhere or even in another location, like on a cliff face looking out to sea for example. However, there were other ways I was also looking at for the delivery of the messages other than the one I have finally gone for with the eyes embedded in a wall.
Eyes as a binary code
One of these was to actually use the eyes as a pure binary code, which is effectively what it is. Rather than a long blink being a dash and a quick blink being translated as a dot you could effectively say an open eye is a dot and a closed one is a dash. With this in mind I started to look if there was a way the messages I had could be translated to posters, or linear graphics.
I decided to take my initial scribbles and actually see what they might look like when worked up in InDesign and how they would look in reality.
When I started to play with the arrangement though to make it readable I originally stacked the words but a long word means a lot of letters and therefore many eyes... this gives and unbalanced and in my mind and uncomfortable layout. I also tried it in one straight line, which I think is a better option but I think it would be better if it was really long and maybe more of a story than a statement that went all along a wall and not restricted to a poster sized piece of paper.
I think this is something to consider at a later date as there are many questions to ask and answer about the format, display and how to output and also where it would be displayed.
Eyes as a performance
The other idea was to actually use the blinking eyes as a performance. There were two ways I was of thinking of doing this. The first was to actually write a short play/scenario with two actors from the uni to deliver the work. The scenario was going to be an argument between a couple where the messages were delivered face to face or over a table but as the argument escalated the faces could be closer and the speed of the delivery of the blinking would be faster until the issue was resolved and calmed down.
I still think there is something in this idea and iteration I am just unsure how it will work, maybe I should just try a very short scene with two people. I would potentially need earpieces to communicate the blinking messages they would need to deliver. Or do I put together a performance as per my sketchbook idea above where tow people are in a room and communicate across the room as people explore the gallery. Very Marina Abramović but there is potential. Perhaps something to keep back for my Masters, should I progress..
A real eye in a wall
The other way I was thinking of developing the idea was to actually have a real eye, potentially mine, as one of the eyes in the wall. So you would go along the phones or see them in various locations but one of them was actually a real eye. This is something I have discussed as I have been building and installing the wall as it really lends itself to it and people can't help look through the gaps and become the viewer rather than the viewed.
As much as I think this would work and maybe even with a set of people doing it, instead of the phones but real people, real eyes. I am concerned about the novelty of the idea and whether it would make the viewer read it in the way they hopefully will a film. It opens many more questions as well. Questions of the voyeur, being watched, being the watcher, what are they looking at, why are they looking. This iteration needs a to be carefully thought through thoroughly and discussed to establish if it is an option to take further. It would also mean I would have to consider the messages to work with the scenario and what meaning I would be looking to project. Again, maybe one for discussion in the future
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