Rat Tale (2017)
A full immersion installation that allows physical closeness in a shared space and explores shifts in perspective.
Rat Tale investigating the complex relationships between humans and animals. More specifically, animals who share urban nature with us. Rat Tale aims to evoke emotions in the liminal zone of disgust and attraction. By creating physical closeness between rats and humans, it raises questions regarding the way we perceive animals who share our urban habitat.
ITP Thesis Presentation
The installation is an experience of discovery that slowly reveals different layers. The outside is a white and sterile. In order to see the work, the audience has to crawl underneath the box. On the bottom of the box there is a dome that allows to peak inside. Putting your head in the dome will slowly expose a speculative underground world. In that way, the audience is being put in a rat perspective.
When first entering the dome, it is dark and then the light slowly turns on using Arduino. My research on the cognitive aspect of disgust inspired me to create this slow reveal by providing a unique visual perspective in order to evoke a new way of thinking. After one minute from entering the dome, a rear projection of a sewer grate in NYC is mapped on the top of the box triggered by a Max patch. This video implies on where this speculative environment can exist.