PolyPolyphemus

At the ICA at MECA in Portland, Maine

As part of an exhibit called EXCHANGE, curated by Lauren Fensterstock, PolyPolyphemus aimed to engage the public an an exchange of energy. The PolyPolyphemus Project started with a large image of a polyphemus moth, an index of chromatic polyethylene plastic, and a groovy sound track.For 4 months the image of the moth sat suspended horizontally at workbench height in the gallery, inviting viewers to work on it by picking colored thrums off the wall and hooking them into the image. On one wall sat a flatscreen TV with a video that moved in and out of being both instructional and abstract. Over time, the public interpreted the colors of the image to be amplified in value, resulting in a technicolor pattern that reflects the eye's preference for pleasure over accuracy. The image of the moth eyes can only be seen from a birdseye view, which is provided by a remote wireless videocamera. From the remote view, one can see a haunting image of the moth eyes on the screen.

EXCHANGE Participating artists: Lewis Hyde, Max Gimblett, David Ross, Caitlin Berrigan and Deb Todd Wheeler