Cooperation with Stefan Sagmeister
works against me
"Being not truthful works against me" is part of a list in Stefan's diary titled: "Things I have learned in my life so far". Like most aphorisms the sentence "Being not truthful works against me" requires habitual commitment. But one might also sense controversy in this statement and quesition not only the idea of "truth" but also the value of making truthfulness a rule. Both, the exposure and the need to constantly work on such a position are the subject of this interactive picture.
Does it?
The sentence "Being not truthful works against me" is woven into a projected virtual spider web. As the viewer passes the web she rips it apart wherever her reflection touches it. But it reconstructs itself time and again. This fragile construction serves as a metaphor for the vulnerability of the maxim and the effort to perpetuate it. In a sense it is "physically" questioned by everybody who passes and damages it. For the viewer this first physical active confrontation might incite further engagement with the statement.
Installation technology
The technological setup consists mainly of a computer which is connected to a camera and a projector. The camera tracks the viewers and a software running on the computer integrates this video input into the simulated physics of a virtual spiderweb. The projector displays the web together with a representation of the viewer.
Images - Installation
Images - Stills
Video
Being not truthful - Quicktime (24 MB)
Being not truthful - Quicktime (9 MB)
Exhibitions
Austrian Cultural Forum, New York (March 2006)
CT3, Sibiu, Romania (July 2007)
Belgrad, Serbia (July 2007)
Type Directors Club New York in Munich, Germany (July 2007)
NLB Galerija Avla in Ljubljana, Slovenia (November 2007)
Deitch Gallery, New York (February 2008)
Credits
Concept, design: Ralph Ammer, Stefan Sagmeister
Programming: Ralph Ammer
Technical support: Stephan Huber
Design support: Matthias Ernstberger