technésexual // Echolalia Azalee and Azdel Slade from azdel slade on Vimeo.
//The sound is very low frequency, so please use headphones or good speakers to hear the video//
Performed in Montreal at Artivistic TURN*ON at the closing night event.
In technésexual, Echolalia Azalee and Azdel Slade commit playful erotic acts in physical and virtual space simultaneously, using devices to amplify the sound of their heartbeats for the two audiences. An electrocardiogram was used to monitor the heart rate with an Arduino/Freeduino, playing a recording of the heartbeat at the correct rate using Puredata. The sound is used here to bridge the two spaces, finding ways of exploring the space between realities. DIY biometrics are used to bridge realities with audio, beyond the usual visual approaches to augmented reality or augmented virtuality.
technésexual seeks to open discussion on the multitude of sexualities outside of the restrictive LGBT formulation and homo/hetero categories, both of which are rooted in binary gender assumptions. The mixing of realities in this project can be seen as paralleling our own personal experiences of queer mixing of genders and sexualities, queering new media. Virtual worlds such as Second Life are facilitating the development of new identities and genders, which allow for unimagined relations and relationships. Through the use of mixed reality technologies in performance, technésexual seeks to look closely at these new relationships and how they affect our everyday lives and our horizons of possibility.
More information at http://transreal.org and
http://bang.calit2.net