Title: il conformista
Date: 2018
Medium: found hat, microcontroller, bone transducer speaker
Description:
Il Conformista ( the Conformist ); inspired by the 1970 movie by director Bernardo Bertolucci about the vicissitudes of a man during the violent fascist period forced to compromise between who he is and who the oppressive fascist regime wants him to be. Through the movie his elegant suits are an anonymous armor. This tension is reinforced by the fact that the man is an agent for the secret state police. In my piece, the viewer can wear a hat resembling the one worn by the protagonist that allows to listen a recreated portion of the movie, the confession with the priest. That relevant portion of the movie fully embodies the duality of trying to fit in and maintaining individuality. The hat communicates trough a small surface transducer that uses the skull as a resonating chamber. This creates an illusion of hearing disagreeing voices in one's head, fully immersing the viewer in the protagonist's shoes, or in this case, hat. The absence of a device in one's ears allows for a true augmentation of one's perception, an empathic sense that receives a shared inner voice. At the same time the user is partially stripped of his freedom of thought and is forced to listen to these intimidating forms of propaganda.
The reference to the fascist regime is a hyperbole to comment on contemporary society as seen from an outsider trying to fit in.
The reason we work is to have a role in a bigger play, advance the species and the society we are a part of. Our ultimate purpose in life is at stake. Is an individual’s value determined by the impact he has on society?
