Revised Artist Statement

Collective Perception

Artist Statement

 

To perceive something is to become aware of through the senses, to understand the meaning of an idea, object, person, or even oneself. Collective Perception delves into the idea of perceiving the community and the individual, while connecting the senses and the mind. With voices and images displayed through the gallery the viewer is exposed to the thoughts of the community around them.

This installation is a group collaboration created by the Interactive Media students at SUNY Cortland. Originally consisting as three separate concepts, we have come together, through both teamwork and cooperation, to deliver a singular piece, Collective Perception. The concept behind the piece focuses on how different people view themselves and how they think the community views them. We interviewed a large variety of individuals asking the questions, “How do you think the community perceives you?” and “How do you perceive yourself?” The replies that we recorded were all unique and intriguing, as were the photographs that we captured. We decided to display the photographs and recordings in a way where the viewer hears the voices of each individual without knowing who they belong to while simultaneously viewing these people on the gallery wall. Without knowing who gave what responses, it keeps the participants anonymous while the viewer is welcome to make any conclusions. Mirrors are also part of the installation to allow the viewer to think of their own perception as well.

Simon Høgsberg’s work can be paralleled with our exhibition in the fact that he deals with human behavior and interaction. Our piece focuses on human thought, perception, judgment, and the senses, such as Simon’s pieces, The Thought Project and Faces of New York. Simon’s work is our inspiration for Collective Perception, yet we created our piece to be focused on the community, rather than choosing a location at random. By staying within the town of Cortland we are collectively unified as a whole. The voices being separated from their owner’s creates a unique experience with the senses, tying in elements of perception of oneself and the environment, while evoking thought and awareness.