[DPsNtN] = DISPLACED PERSONS say NOTHING to NOBODY

The exhibition showed the installation DISPLACED_PERSONS say NOTHING to NOBODY by German media artist Christin Lahr, a computer-controlled interactive environment linked to the internet. The installation focuses on human communication and the tensions and overlap between physical and virtual space. Unusual about this work is that interaction is not generated by activity but by doing nothing at all, by non-action.

In an empty room there are eight loudspeakers, which emit a computer-generated polylogue (a conversation between several persons). The moment someone enters the room, surveillance cameras pick up the signal and cause the sound to stop. This sudden entry is viewed as an intrusion on the conversation. The latter will only resume when everyone has left the room or remain completely motionless, and thus become exhibits themselves. Web users can control the surveillance cameras and switch between different angles in order to follow the behaviour of the visitors. In addition the online users can address the exhibition visitors via the loudspeakers through a chatbox with speechsynthesis.