Taking Sides

collaboration with Laleh Mehran, 2005

Taking Sides draws from interpersonal and historically politicized discourse. Shifting landscapes between two parties reveal the exchange of ideas and control. The audience is able to take a position on issues thus reinforcing the dominance of one side.

Taking Sides is an interactive installation in which every viewer participates. Their presence directly implicates them in a debate, siding with one view or the other. The viewer’s location in the installation space is sensed and interpreted as reinforcement for that viewpoint. The debate/argument is assembled in real-time from a pool of clips whose intensity is translated into physical motion via several fans on each side. The viewer can choose to position themselves with other participants thus increasing the dominance of that position, expressed as growing intensity in physical and sonic exchange; or take the minority position on the other side to attempt to change the balance of power.