{ REVEALUXION }
REVEAL + LUX
PERFORMER:
KASSAHUN ELIA VILLA, KIEUN KIM, Sultanali Barodawala
PHOTO CREDIT BY DANIEL MASTRETTA
Revealuxion is a personal, artistic form for performance, which uses brainwaves, LED lights, and finger movements. The title came from a combination of two words: Reveal and Lux. I combined them because I want to reveal myself through the intensity of illumination. I set up a Mindflex, six LED Strips as a mental representation and finger motions as a physical representation. I use the attention value of my brainwaves and when I focus on my surroundings and myself, the LEDs will be fully lit. If I do not, they will turn off. For the finger movements, if my fingers pull down the strings, the parts at the other ends are lifted up. I can visualize my internal and external struggle through a second body. I’ve designed architectural shapes that are inspired by chrysalis and marionettes. A butterfly struggles for its independence and a marionette’s movements are controlled by human fingers. However, in this performance, I will voluntarily place myself in a chrysalis and use my fingers to control my own movements.
As an artist, I am always concerned with the statement “Be yourself”. I fear we can lose our ontological integrity and can be controlled by other people, technology and alter egos. I always wonder: How could I really represent my true self through my physical form and in performances involving a second body? I would say that I exist and that I am here. And if I extend from myself, it is like seeing pictures of an alter ego through a mirror. By expressing an intimate part of myself in this way, I am able to feel a huge amount of empathy and sympathy for my own self. Throughout this process, I experience moments of healing.
