UNDERSTAND/FEEL
2005 / 2020
interactive multimedia installation
construction (metal, wood, plexiglass) 115 × 56 × 120 cm,
water, sensors, projection of computer generated text of ONE POEM, b/w, sound
Le Fresnoy, Tourcoing, France / Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf

A stream of text is projected onto a layer of water. The size of the letters and the speed with which they appear do not allow to perceive the text as a whole and to read it. The work initiates the intuitive desire of the spectator to immerse a hand in the water and to touch the text. When this happens, the speed with which the text flows changes as each hand movement affects it. It is possible to find the optimal speed for reading and to make out fragments of the text, but it is impossible to view it in its entirety. The text is “hidden” inside the projection system, which both reproduces it and which serves as the interface for interaction with it. This interaction allows the spectator to feel and understand the text, as well to apprehend an image of its content. The distinction between verbal and nonverbal text perception and between understanding and feeling disappears.