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I'M WATCHING WHAT HE'S WATCHING (2021)
'I’m Watching What He’s Watching' was inspired by the view outside my room; a small, enclosed space, but with large windows facing towards strangers across my room. In the event of the ongoing pandemic and the lack of outdoor activities, the ‘accidental’ habit of having to look outside the window forced me to peer into other people’s privacy and daily lives. This makes me question how a connection can be built with a stranger through the act of watching or, perhaps, ‘stalking’.
The idea of unintentionally watching people from a distance was both disturbing and terrifying. This led me to explore the definition of ‘stalking’.
Can this witnessing be reasoned by coincidence or happenstance? Or is it a course of conduct that would cause a reasonable person fear?
In this work, I focus on the words 'you' and 'I,' blending multiple perspectives together, and allowing viewers to connect with the stalker's feelings. This transformation shifts the 'normal' act of watching into something entrancing. I aim to immerse the audience in the stalker’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
'Hidden Worlds' - Collaborative Exhibition
'Hidden Worlds' is a collection of mixed media works by 10 interdisciplinary artists that draw the themes of 'presence' situated in alternative worlds and environments.
Through the exploration of human relationships between man and technology, emotional and psychological behaviours as well as natural and artificial settings; these works offer allegorical interpretations of real life events that came from personal experience, commenting on humanity. Each work highlights hidden messages that relate to real life situations; situations that are often ignored by people, or those which are still not anticipated.
This exhibition introduces various stages of life, considering emotions of love; what if love is communicated differently? What if the presence of love is lost? What if the presence of love turns into an obsession? The act of stalking and being watched is presented in the exhibition and invites the viewer to an intimate yet disturbing experience of a stalker's life.
Overall, the collection of works invites the viewer to reflect on the presence of life and existence. How does the world around us evolve? What are the current situations in society that have alternated our presence and importance? How do humans cope with the ever-changing forms of life?
> Installation & Display
The work is divided into three perspectives: the first is narrated by the stalker through their own eyes, the second consists of the stalker's written words, and the third is from a diary belonging to an 'observer.'
Using a multi-screen installation allows the work to engage more actively in the socio-political arena, activating the viewer and encouraging a more engaged role outside the artwork.
My work was displayed in a three-screen installation at the corner of the studio, reinforcing the concept of a 'hidden enclosure'. This setup invites the audience to intentionally 'become' the stalker or an observer. The three screens create a stimulating environment; some viewers preferred to stand back, while others chose to watch closely to read the text.
A camera and tripod were placed next to the installation, mimicking the act of stalking through the camera lens. Many viewers instinctively averted their gaze to avoid the camera, reflecting a deep discomfort with being watched. This behaviour highlights the themes of surveillance and privacy, as participants grappled with the unsettling feeling of being observed.
Script by the observer
Third Person Diary
It’s 12o’clock midnight. I was just about to go to bed. My curtains were open and just as I assumed, a spectacle was about to take place. I look outside. I see you. Sitting in your room in darkness with your laptop screen flaring into your eyes as you type furiously.
I am not a stalker but you make it difficult for me not to watch you. This is not your first time… It’s strange, I cannot help but be your audience. You’re probably wondering… Is he working? No, he’s stalking our neighbours again. He writes about their life on his laptop. It’s his little journal diary.
It’s not my business watching him, I have nothing to do with him. But why am I so drawn to what he’s doing? What does that make of me?
You are not a good person, I never see you leave your room. You have no social life, maybe that’s why you spend all your time stalking strangers through their windows…
You think no one is watching you? Oh… but you’re wrong. There is someone watching you… I am. You don’t know, because you’re busy looking at them through your window. I’m just bored, looking at you from a distance. I don’t have any wrong intentions.. But you, you are a stalker.
Have you got nothing else to do?
So now you’re picking up your phone? Stalking their social media? You must be having a lot of fun…
I am not like you, You’re a stalker.