Just a quick note, to do with some reading I've done lately. I recently did a presentation for my Image and Culture elective which I wanted to tie in with both my studio work and the issue of audiences. I was looking at reception theory, which relates to how a work of art directly engages the viewer and how it sets up a 'dialogue' between the viewer and the artwork. I thought this would be interesting to relate back to installation art and at the same time how I could use it to think more closely about my own work. As well as looking at 'Hypnodreamdruff' by Georgina Starr, I looked at Janet Cardiff's "Muriel Lake Incident", which I have taken inspiration from for my own installation.
In this, there are two elements which are used to directly involve the viewer in the work. The perspective of the box places the viewer sitting in the balcony of the cinema, even though the size is wrong. I could have involved something like this in my own installation - perhaps making the box smaller at the back to increase the feeling of compression as the viewer got inside (almost like an Alice in Wonderland type effect). However, more interesting to me is the use of sound - not only does the viewer hear the narrative on the screen, but also the sounds of the cinema around them - someone eating popcorn, someone talking to their left. This is why I feel that the sound in my installation will add more to the viewer's perception of being inside a caravan - because this element positions the viewer in a certain place, time, mood, and what I am most interested in is whether this transports them to a certain memory of caravanning. In my installation I think it will be important to place the sound correctly, as it will be played through speakers not headphones. I like the idea that Garry has of placing the sound under the seat, so that it resonates through the viewer's body as they are sat within the installation.