Screening eMotions

An Installation by Si Jie Loo

June 30 - July 7, 2009  - Carson/Novack Carridor.

Through various rites and patterns such as DOC trips, the culture of wearing "flares", the Greek scene, the bonfire and the striving for academic achievement, Dartmouth manages to structure our emotions. This structuring of emotion tends to stifle more impromptu expressions outside these boundaries, because we carefully pick and choose how to express our ourselves to match suit these occasions and everyday rituals. Consequently, we run the risk of forgetting how to express ourselves outside of these boundaries.

In this public art project, I attempt to create a scenario that allows Dartmouth community members to express their hidden emotions. By putting a "Grafitti" wall and a display of "nostalgic" toys in public space, I anticipate the direct interaction between the art and its viewers, with each spectator reacting to what has been expressed before. In this way, one will be able to see how emotions can be experienced, related, and relayed. The public display of art brings people together at a personal level. This project aims to provide a public setting for Dartmouth community to express their private emotions and to recognize, unexpectedly, each other's emotions in a setting where they are customarily hidden within traditions, social patterns, and expectations.