myParticipation=myMagritte aka It is Still a False Mirror

interactive net art, 2008
software program written by the artist, computer, monitor, webcam

myParticipation=myMagritte is an art interface which demands the viewer’s constant attention. The viewer’s movement in front of the webcam triggers the video feedback system, and the software written by the artist integrates what the webcam sees into the image of The False Mirror, a Surrealist masterpiece by Rene Magritte. As a result of the motion detection, the highly stylized video image of the viewer and his/her surroundings will be incorporated instantly into the circular sky portion of the original painting, creating a new kind of surreal experience enabled by digital technology. The image on the screen will begin to fade back to a faithful representation of the original oil painting within five seconds after the motion detector no longer detects movement.

The title, “It is Still a False Mirror,” affirms the artist’s intention to expose the fact that the essence of art making remains the same even in the digital age. Artists are still trying to understand and define the meaning of our existence, irrespective of the number of new technological tools that can be employed in the process of art making.