Revised BFA Idea

The theme or point that I am going to be focusing on for the show is sleep paralysis. It is something that I personally suffer from and am quite familiar with. The reason for doing this is that my art focuses mainly on stirring up reactions to negative emotions. I find it very interesting to see how people react to something that makes them sad or frightened, so by creating this installation, I hope to bring out an awareness of the concept by placing the viewer into a situation that feels similar to having an actual episode. It would be interesting as well to see how someone who has had experiences of sleep paralysis in the past, can relate to the installation.

The first version of the installation will require the view to physically lay down on the floor, crawling into the space. The viewer will look up to see a video being played. This video will be played on a loop from a small projector that is pointing down towards the floor onto a sheet above the viewers head. The video is an example of what one may see during an episode. The physical space sticks out around 3 feet from the wall 2 feet high and 2 1/2 feet wide. There will be an additional 2 feet in height for the projector. I’m still not certain on the measurements yet as I don’t know what is ideal.

The second version is very similar to the first but it stands upright, allowing the viewer to wall in and out of the space without having to lay down on the ground. I personally feel that this version is less powerful than the first, as the senses of helplessness and immobility are not as present.
   
With both version, it will be dark, not only so that the projection can show up clearly, but also to help bring out a sense of fear. My episodes also usually occur in the middle of the night as well, so that is a reason as well.

There will be a video being projected, but as to how and where the projection will take place is still to be determined, depended on how the installation is built.

Wall Design Example

For the walls, I will be painting them completely black. However, I will be adding to them, a sort of wall paper, made from various sheets out of my personal diary. The pages will have descriptions of my sleep paralysis episodes. Certain words may be purposely "highlighted" depending on their importance.

Updated Design V.2

Updated Designs V.1

Update on progress

Redesigned layout of installation. It will be a small space, roughly 3 feet by 4 feet. Will have wall paper consisting of pages from books dealing with anxiety disorders and phobias.

Diagram and Equipment

A list of equipment that I will need are:
A Camcorder
A small TV that can playback video
Walls, either drywall or other
Curtains
Lighting

Contract

For the BFA show, my piece will end up being mixed media. I intend on making it mostly an instillation. There will however be some two dimensional drawings throughout the piece on the walls. I will also have a video that the audience will be able to view if they choose to do so.

The main concept of my piece is to really draw into the audience's inner emotions. These emotions will most likely be fear or an overall sense of being disturbed. I am going to try to relate to feelings that everyone can relate to. There will also be a period at the end of my instillation in which the viewer can achieve a brief moment of peace.

The aesthetics of this piece is to throw the audience into an uncomfortable situation. It will make the viewer relate to other things that they may have experienced in life. The point is to "force" the audience into a frightening space. They then must get uncomfortably close to a disturbing object in order to see a soothing image. This comes from the old belief that before things can get better, they must get worse.

The final format of this piece will be in the shape of a small room. The room will be made walls and curtains. A small six foot long hallway will lead into  small six foot long room. The room will have various objects in it to promote uncomfortable feelings. The room will be illuminated by red lights, while the hallway will be completely dark.