This piece is an exploration of paranoia, particularly everyday images that take on disturbing or nightmarish qualities. The video installation will be scenes taken from real life that have subtly disturbing qualities to them. I want to question, first of all, why these images disturb us. There is nothing logically there to be afraid of; there’s really no danger present but the imagery remains unsettling.
I’m taking a lot of inspiration from phobias, nightmares, and horror movies. The project started out as simply a recreation of nightmares, and I wanted to use not the straightforward ones where you’re some kind of danger, but those that are disturbing in a less obvious way. I have expanded the project to be an exploration of real life objects, places, and situations from a disturbing, surreal perspective. I want to experiment with creating unsettling or frightening images without resorting to putting the viewer in danger. Why do we find these images disturbing when there’s really no danger present?
I also want to look at the possible sources of these irrational fears we have. Are these reactions simply defense mechanisms engrained into us since birth? Or are they learned over time through society or the media? For example, are so many people afraid of clowns because of killer clown movies, or were clowns frightening to begin with? Horror movies especially tend to reuse scenarios and styles of camera work that become cliché, and we begin to recognize them immediately. If I were to use some of these horror movie tropes out of context, would I be able to get the same reaction out of viewers as the originals do?
The footage used in this video will be mostly unedited, aside from cutting down and putting together scenes and minor adjustments. No special effects will be used, however. The point of the video is for the footage to be as realistic as possible. It should cause discomfort on its own without the need for extra enhancements.
Here are a few screenshots from the footage taken so far.
