Zip It
“Zip It” is an interactive video installation, that allows the viewer to 'zip' people (turn the sound of the videos on and off) while at the same time create new, unexpected conversation. In relation to my thesis this project concentrates on relationships (their arguments) between two human beings. It highlights the unspoken, the little things that great arguments or unease.
I had three couples all together. For the footage I had one couple sit opposite with a camera pointing at each individual. They had to argue, the one constrained was not to talk over each other. Afterwards I edited both tapes and cut out the other persons sound, combined the videos and made them interactive with conductible zippers, which closed the video windows like a curtain. While the "windows" where closed you were still able to see that there was something going on behind the fabric - did this make you want to unzip it and watch it? Did the yellow add to the arguing conversations...?
Users really wanted to play and engage with it. Even I, although I knew all the footage and dialogues, I found myself zipping and unzipping to create new stories and see how dialogues could fit together. This had a really springily beautiful effect, because all the arguments seemed to fit together, and the originals where no longer standing out.