Antibodies is a virtual interactive experience created in and inspired by confinement. In order to replace a physical exhibition cancelled because of lockdown, La Maison de la culture Ahuntsic based in Montreal challenged Daniel to create a confinement-accessible installation instead. How to achieve that when interactive artworks are simply not complete without an audience? The concept of replacing social gatherings with video calls seemed to perfectly echo replacing the physical art installation with a virtual one. This is how Antibodies was born: an online interactive artwork that can be accessed by anyone at any time. The two part experience takes the form of a never-ending video conference call. In Part 1, you are confronted with your own image filmed by your webcam, while a software tracks your facial gestures and responds with overlaid patterns. Part 2 takes you to the “conference room” where you get to witness the recordings of all the people who participated in the experience, yourself included.
All our installations occupy public spaces, so during lockdown we had to occupy a space the audience could come to: the virtual space
DANIEL IREGUI
This virtual get-together Antibodies highlights the main difference between real-life gatherings and virtual ones: in real life you only see others around you, never yourself, whereas in this “new normal” scenario you are also in the crowd you perceive, you see how others see you, and that may generate a plethora of emotions from vulnerability all the way to empowerment. The experience also addresses the theme of privacy and other things we had to give up in confinement.
DANIEL IREGUI
CREATED BY : DANIEL IREGUI AND STUDIO IREGULAR
CODING : GUILLAUME TURGEON, HUGO ST-ONGE
VISUALS AND SOUNDS :DANIEL IREGUI
COORDINATION: MARILYNE LACOMBE
CURATOR : LIETTE GAUTHIER
PRESENTED BY : MAISON DE LA CULTURE AHUNTSIC
THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE MONTREAL BOROUGHS CULTURAL OUTREACH PROGRAM AS PART OF THE "ENTENTE SUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT CULTUREL DE MONTRÉAL"