Body Movies, created by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael
Lozano-Hemmer, aims to transform public space with interactive projections ranging between 400 and 1,800 square meters, depending on sites in different cities.
Thousands of photographic portraits were taken ahead of time in the host city, and are shown using robotically controlled projectors. However, the portraits only become clearly visible inside the projected shadows of the passers-by, whose silhouettes can measure between two and twenty-five meters depending on how close or far away they are from the powerful light sources positioned on the ground. A video surveillance tracking system triggers new portraits when all the existing ones have been revealed, inviting the public to occupy new narratives of representation.
This project precisely represents Colangelo’s view on “media abound in these agglomerations of space, technology, and people”, and become “connective tissue that allows us to communicate with one another and our environment in unprecedented ways”. The installation invites viewers to actively interact with the projection by only revealing details when a viewer’s shadow is overlayed onto projected images. It creates intimacy and connection between individuals and also broadcasts the message to a larger community because its massive volume and high visibility.