La Séance
(2017)
eng · ita
Gloucester: "I see it feelingly."
Lear: "What, art mad? A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears!"
William Shakespeare, King Lear (1605 / 1606)
A protocol similar to the one established for Hybris (2009) was applied for this series, though with contrasting undertones and implications. The setting is the practice of hypnotherapist. Marco is sitting on a chair, more or less at the center of a room that is not too large. Behind him within a couple of meters is a mute wall, bare of any ornament; in front is a large window through which filters the faint, soft light of a rainy afternoon. The photographic camera, a digital model with autofocus, is set on a tripod between the window and Marco, the frame “closes in” on the face, slightly below the shoulders. The hypnotherapist is seated on another chair, to the left of the camera and facing Marco; she is close to him, interacts with him, even physically, spotting points on his face with her fingers or holding his hand. Pino Musi does not stand behind the camera. For this shooting, he wants the camera to capture Marco’s expressions through the fluctuations of his mindset during the session, without ever modifying the framing; this also allows the subject not to feel oppressed by the cumbersome presence of a gesticulating photographer. Musi thus decided to sit on a sofa at some distance from Marco, only relating to the scene through hearing, and triggering the shutter of the camera at periodical, yet uneven intervals, with a remote control and solely on the basis of the emotional tension generated by Marco’s voice, often in “trance” as he exposes himself to the psychotherapist, or immediately after. The shooting lasted approximately one hour and close to seventy-five views were made. They have been subsequently sequenced according to the original temporality of the session. And black frames occasionally interrupt the flow of images to mark the brief pauses requested by the psychotherapist. The final form of the project is a video installation.
Il volto, anima dello specchio / Michele Smargiassi in Fotocrazia
