The installation version of Swarming Emotional Pianos features video documentation of an actor that silently expresses the emotions of surprise, anger, fear, sadness, sexual arousal and joy over the course of twenty minutes, at timed intervals. During this video recording, Gee attached biosensors to the actor in order to capture data related to his physiological emotional state through breathing, heart rate, sweating, and blood pressure. Seeking out the poetic spaces of translation between the micro-events of emotional experience and the body, the video projection is surrounded by a fleet of chime robots activated through this biosensor data. The activation of the robots gives rise to an abstract musical piece that reflects the actor’s control and emotional intensity. This project, reflective of affective computing research, enables Gee to explore the complex relationships between body and mind in human emotions.
Swarming Emotional PianosErin Gee (CA)
Installation, 2012
Erin Gee (CA)
Erin Gee is a Canadian artist who explores digital culture through the metaphors of human voices in electronic bodies, working in video, performance, robotics and audio art. Recently, Gee's work has been presented at Trinity Square Video, Toronto (2015), Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (2015), Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters, Montreal (2014), and Nuit Blanche Calgary (2014). Gee's work combining robotics and human emotion has been reviewed in publications such as Scientific American, VICE, and National Post. Gee has published work in Leonardo Music (2013) as well as eContact! Journal of the Canadian electroacoustic community, and is the creator of future femmes, an online blog archived by Cornell University featuring interviews, showcased work and links to relevant articles on the topic of women working in technological culture. Gee lives and works in Montreal where she teaches sound art, as well as gender and technology courses, at Concordia University.
erin.marie.gee@gmail.com
eringee.net
