Vis.[un]necessary force_1.01

Interactive, participatory, multimedia installation.
100 portable digital speakers in the shape of a Caracal 9 mm pistol [white PLA 3D prints], 100 MicroSD cards, 100 mp3 sounds, texts, map, variable structure.
Dimensions: variable.
Duration: variable.

Vis.[un]necessary force_1.01 (V.[u]nf_1.01) is a real-recorded space transformed into an imagined realm of overwhelming violence. The data collected and the 100 purpose-made (3D-printed) gun-shaped [Caracal F 9x19 mm] sculptural objects form the body of the work. Sound devices [loudspeakers] are installed inside the objects. This artistic research project addresses contemporary violence from the citizen’s perspective. It derives from shootings that people accidentally chanced upon, recorded with their cell phones and posted on YouTube. V.[u]nf_1.01 merges users’ involvement in the emotional experience of violence with the hybrid, networked space of a multimedia installation organized with sound, space, sound sculptures, images, and texts.

The design of the work is interactive, participatory, and performative. Interactive and participatory in terms of audience engagement, as the visitors can activate the gun-shaped sound devices, thereby becoming an integral part of the artwork. Participatory, also in terms of the creative process, as the sound data were generated by multiple individuals, who thus contributed significantly to the creation of the work. Performative, as the visitor’s behaviour shapes the experience of the artwork with the outcome of the sounds played determined by their interactions. The archive that underpins V.[u]nf_1.01 is as crucial as the sound devices that play the sounds. It includes printed elements that provide detailed descriptions of the incidents—the sources of sounds, data related to the original YouTube files—and a map of Mexico.

Luz María Sánchez