This piece called Case Study I: Micro-expression is an experimental art installation in my new exploration of the concept of provoking people to express concealed emotions.  This installation explores the limited space people have in which to express themselves mentally and physically.  People are deprived of these expressive outlets.  Their emotions are trapped within their bodies because these emotions are denied self-expression.  The interactive experience of my piece starts when individuals are informed that their picture and personal information will be documented and used.  If they accept, one individual at a time is invited to walk down the “hallway” to start their interaction with my installation.

My interactive installation consists of a touch table I created where individuals are invited to interact with the screen by answering personal questions.  These questions include: “What are you scared of?” “What makes you sad?”  “What makes you laugh?” and “What makes you angry?”  Once they have answered these questions they press a “submit” button and then images representing of one of their answers to one of the questions will appear on the screen.  The fraction of a second in which the raw emotion that has come to the surface of their face as a result of seeing the image of their personal answer will be captured by a camera. The sound of a camera will alert the individual that their picture has been taken and the screen of the touch table will refresh, erasing the “answer’s” image.  This lets the person know that their interaction is completed.  

My “Output Variables”, as defined by Don Ritter as “the physiological and psychological conditions surrounding the experience of perceptual creations” were chosen to take advantage of this comfort zone that has developed around the use of digital devices.  Because people are now more comfortable expressing themselves virtually, I created a portal through which an individual can interact with a virtual screen in the privacy of the room.  In this way, they are free of the judgment of others and whatever other constraints they would feel in a public space when the image they see on the screen provides them with the spontaneous opportunity to express their emotions.  By immersing themselves into the realm of the screen, actually “commit[ting] [their] gaze to the screen”, I am able to separate the individual from reality and place that person into a world where I can capture their raw emotion.  This can be accomplished because people have become so comfortable with and trusting of technology that the individual is disarmed of their public façade and disinhibited in their actions. This also known as micro-expression a brief, involuntary facial expression shown on the face of humans according to emotions experienced.

For the purpose of being a case study, the individual’s photograph is saved in a specific folder linked to the specific question and labeled with the information the individual has provided.  Knowing this personal information, I can detect patterns of responses as I observe the different emotional expressions and behavior and compare it to the specific answer.  From the observations of the photograph, I can start determining the next stages of creating different strategies in forming an immersive interactive installation that will help with creating an environment that will generate an outlet for people’s suppressed emotions.