Shown as a projection at the exhibition screening "Becoming the Skin of the Snake", VVV-R // Visualcontainer Vegapunk Videoart Residency C/oSuperOtium, via Santa Teresa degli Scalzi, 8 Naples. The snake sheds its skin: its dry skin can be seen as an object trouvé, as an empathic tool for relating to others and to the environment.

 

Sens in Latin means ‘to feel’ and this video is an exploration of embodiment and was born from the research question of 'how can a sense other than visual be explored through video and found footage to create a narrative?' The research began with haptic vision, which refers to the relationship between skin and screen and the sense of touch and seeing. The idea was to include macro shots and close-up frames to create a sense of tactility taking the viewer from one frame to the next on a sensory journey allowing them to navigate their own perception, memories, and sensations. Colour plays a huge part in emotions and each humanistic shot is followed by a colourful abstract movement creating a synesthetic experience. 

Sound in video brings the listeners' attention and focus into what they're watching. They are free to start to create their own narrative or use collective memories attached to that sound. When the sound is different to the image, the narrative changes and is unexpected. When the sounds are unfamiliar, such as the metronome, we attach our own individual subjective experience to that sound and in turn place meaning on it such as the sound of a heartbeat. Combining this with silences and diegetic sounds, makes an interesting play between attention and focus, meaning and interpretation which in turn creates a second narrative towards what the viewer is watching. When watching the visual in silence or with the diegetic sound, the haptic sensation becomes more intense and with the distraction of the metronome it brings attention to the brain and thinking rather than into the bodily sensations and being present.