Forum 2012

Title: Forum 
 
Year: 2012
 
Medium: Digital Video
 
Duration: 4:59 min. (abdriged) / 2 hrs. (Total running time)
 
Description: Members of the deaf community were invited to debate topics of their choosing for a forum staged by the artist.  The debate occurred in multiple varieties of sign language (ASL, MSL, KSL), and is voiced live by 2 off-camera interpreters.  Each interpreter was outfitted with eye-tracking gear to measure their exact gaze as they translated; the red and purple dots indicate the gaze of each interpreter.  As the debate progressed, the artist tied participants together by their arms and legs. The result is that as one person struggles to communicate, the group collectively shifts in echoed movement. 

Forum (abridged) from James Sham on Vimeo.