CONCEPT:
Don't care what others think of you?  You sure? 

What’s it feel like when someone sums you up in one sound? A flippant grunt - or maybe they applaud you? How do you respond - internally?

Much of our lives center around gaining respect. But how much of that is earning self-respect, and how much is feeling respected in the eyes of others? What happens to your sense of self worth when you’re randomly and unfairly judged? Running the Gauntlet through Sheeple's Court will help you answer that question.  

The purpose of this piece is a social and psychological one. It’s designed to build personal awareness of how social judgement shapes our sense of self, while providing a humorous interactive experience. 

AN IMMERSVIVE INTERACTIVE ART INSTALLATION:
Visitors walk through a corridor between 2 large rear projection screens, displaying a herd of oversized, game engine-driven, 3D sheep in barrister wigs, who track their movement and respond with judgmental facial expressions and vocalizations, creating a humorous commentary on herd mentality, social judgment, and the long term effect on the individual. 

The right solution to the World's most serious problems is at the level of the individual. This installation targets that level.

Central Question for the Viewer: “How have you been shaped by the opinions of others? 

Central Question for the Medium: How can an interactive experience create a personal paradigm shift, rather than just empty spectacle?

The project addresses both questions with humor as well as the focus on the individual and his experience of feeling seen and judged.

Motivation

After decades of working as an FA Photographer, Filmmaker and Media Creative whose work has a conceptual basis, I’ve found it increasingly challenging to feel that 2-dimensional mediums are reaching anyone meaningfully, due to today’s media saturated climate. I’ve decided to move towards Interactive Art as a better means to capture attention, motivate personal reflection and create a positive outcome as a result.  

I understand that capturing the attention of today's audiences requires both personal relevance, and the feeling of being the driving force behind a work’s composition. My purpose in doing this is not simply to get attention, but to have a lasting impact. The purpose in using the interactive component is to motivate willing contemplation of one’s sense of self. It’s my belief that you don’t change societal problems by preaching or issuing a blanket edict. The only way to motivate lasting change is by getting down to its basic component, the individual, and his/her relationship to society. 

Understanding one’s identity, and the factors that go into shaping it, offers profound benefits that ripple outward from the individual to society as a whole. Individuals who understand their own identity development often develop greater empathy for others navigating their own identity formation. They can see that identity is complex, shaped by countless factors, and rarely fits neatly into simple categories. This understanding tends to reduce judgment and increase compassion - two things that are increasingly hard to find in today’s fractured society.  

As an Artist, I consider addressing these topics the best contribution I, as an individual, can make in my lifetime. This is my true motivation behind this work.