Origin, Direction, Location

Origin, Direction, Location is an installation created by Barbara Bernstein and Roger Dannenberg. This short video documents the work, which was shown at the Cummings Art Center at Connecticut College in 2006.

We are interested in representing simultaneity of time (past-present-future) and place through an interactive installation based on sound and image. The title “Origin, Direction, Location” comes from a Buddhist text, referring to the “interdependent origination of all things” and the mindful attention required to realize this awareness. According to Buddhist philosophies, all things emerge from emptiness. In this installation four microphones are activated by participants’ sounds which simultaneously activate, select and manipulate four possible image categories: People, Places, Things and The In-between (the Bardo). Sounds are recorded, and selected portions replayed after a short delay with processing (filtering, reverberation and sometimes granulation). As ambient sound is amplified and recirculated, images are simultaneously projected on walls and corners reinforcing the idea of a continuous cycle of emergence from emptiness. Participants and observers will discover that depending upon their sounds, physical orientation and location in the installation, a world-view and environment is determined and revealed, making both the perception and creation of the work a personal and immersive experience.