Command and Control, against oculocentrism

command-and-control

The oculocentric concept of contemporary communications, which specialises in pleasing the eyes, can be profoundly challenged if we reverse the perspective and use the eyes as a site for the control of technological means. This concept seems deeply embedded in the performance Command and Control. In it, Ivana Dama wears a device with ‘custom pupil tracking software’ that triggers motors to gently strike a musical instrument made of wood and glass. The software focuses in particular on involuntary movements, such as involuntary blinking, an organic, essential movement that usually goes unnoticed. The imperceptible organic then commands deterministic technology, with the performer unable to perceive the beautiful natural environment in which she is immersed – a living manifesto against oculocentrism.

 

Ivana Dama – Command and Control