Proximity Effect, 2025
Two-channel HD video, Directional sound
Wood, Concrete block, Glass dome, Carpet, Aluminum TV Stand
14:58 minutes
“Proximity effect” combines an enquiry into the form, function of durational performance, sound and moving image.
Laughter is a deeply human and social act. But when isolated and ‘performed’ in front of the camera, the artifice of the performance begins to shred. The work frames an actor prompted to perform 'laughter' as a 15 minute extended act. The singular act of laughter becomes quite jarring as we see the actor losing their ability to perform.
As the actor laughs, a microphone recording their voice is slowly pulled back and forth. The work attempts to translate the sonic phenomenon of 'Proximity Effect', where the closer a sound source is to a microphone, the more pronounced the sound becomes, and vice versa.
Proximity effect here is used as a metaphor for the geopolitical power dynamics, where the closer we are to the source of distress, the louder we resonate and the further we stray, the more we are swallowed by desensitization. The work extends beyond the technical aspect, addressing proximity within the relationship between the microphone, the camera, the audience, and the viewing experience itself. Through a phenomenological inquiry, the work probes ideas of sympathy, distance, and power dynamics at play.