Presented as the final project for my D.E.C. in arts and media arts at Cégep Lévis-Lauzon, Projet XION is a media installation that I created in 2002 with the assistance of Marie-Christine Perron Marier.
Projet XION is essentially a brainwashing machine. A subject is seated in a closed room, on a seat equipped with blinkers blocking their peripheral vision. They are also wearing a gas mask and headphones to enhance the sense of sensory isolation. A heart rate sensor is applied to track the subject's heart rate fluctuations throughout the experience.
A large screen is placed in front of the subject and a video projector displays textures of fire or water on the subject, depending on the desired effect (relaxation or stress). The purpose of this projection is to be captured by the subject's peripheral vision without being consciously perceived. A video filled with subliminal messages, adapted according to the subject's gender, is played on the large screen.
The video begins with a relaxation session, followed by a period of visual and sound aggression, and then moves to a more dynamic phase. During the entire session, the subject's eyes are filmed and broadcast on a projection outside the room. An audience of spectators thus watches the "brainwashing" of the subject without being able to know the content of the video. During this show, the data from the heart rate sensor is revealed to the spectators at ten-second intervals.
Genre: Media Art, Installation