rnayyar-looking outwards 01

https://piksel.no/~gif/index.html

https://drive.google.com/a/andrew.cmu.edu/file/d/0B0gDXj4XNhe3LWFybnVOcVhSR0k/view?usp=drivesdk

This is Gisle Frøyland, a Norwegian woman proficient in computer science and visual arts. While I was browsing for “cool female contemporary artists”, I stumbled upon her work. Weirdly enough, I was actually in Norway over the summer and I saw an installation of hers in the KODEBERGEN museum of contemporary and Norwegian art. On the side of the installation was a table where there was an assortment of hats. Each hat had a specific design pasted on top of it and the viewer was to select a hat and put it on. Once the viewer had the hat on, they were instructed to stand in the middle of a black carpet above which there was a downward facing camera. The camera would detect the specific design on the hat and put on a personalized light show in front of the viewer. I actually fell in love with that installation and bonded with some strangers over it which was really enjoyable. Frøyland’s simple but interactive piece was engaging, curious, and quite entertaining. Other viewers and I were excitedly trading hats and laughing with each other despite the language barrier. Ideally, the only complaints I really had with the piece were that the hats were a little clumsy looking but I was blown away by the recognition and reaction of the camera and lights. It’s as if an “if/else” statement could be implemented in real life. I actually aspire to make art that involves viewer interaction as I think curiosity and play are key to exploring one’s creative nature. People like to think that they are separate from animals in that they’re sophisticated and knowledgable and communicate differently but when it comes down to flashing lights and shiny things, we all get roped in. There was something very primal about how this installation “trapped” us viewers through its dazzling and light-hearted appeal.