Thinking the Body-Inside

Abstract

In the center of the dim room, there is an off-white ovoid cylinder, standing perhaps 12 feet tall, and about 6 or 7 feet in diameter on its wider side. Two narrow doorways, on axis, are cut into the sides, revealing thick, solid walls. Although the interior is dark, illuminated on the floor is a bright disk. It is a projected video. What can be seen there seems strange and compelling, and makes us desire a better view. So you squeeze through the opening and enter the cylinder. To observe the video, you must look down toward your own feet. Perhaps it is at that moment that you begin to consciously notice the pulsing sound, an overlapping rhythm of breaths, flows, heart beats, and scrapes, a sonic collage built from sounds of a living body.