Binocular Tension by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Binocular Tension2024

Flat display, 3D sensor, computer, wooden frame, custom code written in Python115 x 38 x 11 cmEdition of 6, 1 AP

Binocular Tension is a stretched horizontal display with the image of two large human eyes that track and follow the observer with a built-in computerized tracking system. When a public member is detected, their presence triggers the eyes to wake up, looking at the visitor directly, creating an uncanny experience that questions who is the observer and who is the observed. The piece is part of a series of surveillance pieces that started in 1992 with the interactive installation Surface Tension, where an image of a giant human eye follows the observer with Orwellian precision. In this series of works, the artist creates a tangible manifestation of observation itself as the subject of the work of art. Here, eye contact is presented as a technological mechanism of sentience, seduction, policing, and control.