Behind Your Eyes, Between Your Ears
A brainwave-controlled interactive video installation, representing changes in mental focus and attention, through sound and light.
The brainwave-controlled graphic textures overlaid over the participants – invoke photographic idioms from science fiction cinema, 70’s aura-photography and 19th Century spiritualist imaging, to evoke qualitative shifts in the participants subjective state, from spark-like textures for ‘regular’ attention, to softer, dappled textures representing increased and sustained alpha-brainwave activity generated in moments of stillness and open-focus.
In Behind Your Eyes, Between Your Ears increases in alpha brainwave rhythms (produced when you close your eyes and quieten your mind) control an interactive soundscape and projected visuals that trace the dynamics of the participant’s attention.
Different layers of sound are mixed in and out as participants increase and sustain alpha-brainwave activity over the baseline average set at the start of the experience. Participants interact with the work with their eyes closed. Each interaction last approximately 15-minutes and other visitors are be able to observe the live video from a special viewing area.
The project builds on work developed with James P. Brown (AlphaLab, 2013) and during his residency as part of the Kaldor Public Art Projects ‘Marina Abramović In Residence’ Artist’s Residency Program in 2015.
The 2015 and 2019 exhibitions of the work incorporated a ‘peppers ghost’ video display – in which participants appeared to other visitors - through a reflective window - as if floating inside the brainwave controlled video textures. Recordings where then made of each visitor interaction.
The resulting collection of intimate video portraits gathered over the course of the exhibitions – invite us to reimagine connections between attention, subjectivity and embodiment, and role of contemplative practices in art and culture.
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2019
George Khut: Contemplative Interactions, DADA Freemantle gallery, presented as part of the 2019 Freemantle Biennale, Freemantle, Western Australia, 25 October – 9 November.
2016
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Asutralian Capital Territory, 29 June - 17 July.
2015
Lveworks Festival of Experimental Art, presented by Performance Space, Carriageworks, Redfern, New South Wales, 4th - 7th November.
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George Khut: Interaction concept, interactive video and sound design (Max)
David Morris-Oliveros, and Michela Ledwidge (Mod Productions): Visualisation software
Trent Brooks: Technical support neurofeedback software
James Brown: sound-design development (2014)
Acknowledgments
This project has been assisted by the Australian Federal Government, through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, and UNSW Art & Design (University of New South Wales). Development for this work was underatken with the support of the Bundanon Trust (2014), and Kaldor Public Arts Projects (2015).