hello ... hi ... hi ... er ... hello ...

I am interested by the acute self awareness triggered when humans are placed in the range of a camera or microphone. There is something about the knowledge of the future record of ourselves which often triggers discomfort, and provokes a set of strange, plastic, forced responses. We find it difficult to prevent these reactions to someone who may be about to record our appearance or voice. We are even quick to adapt to new recording devices, such as our developing uneasiness and consciousness of cameras in previously innocuous mobile phones. The audio recording for this project was produced by following a series of pre-formulated algorithmic steps: position yourself at a reasonably busy campus corridor intersection with a standard (in the sense of being instantly recognisable as such) microphone. as someone walks towards you, try to not make eye contact and to not display the microphone until moments before they pass you. attempted to elicit a response from each passer-by using only the familiar action of thrusting the microphone within range of their face. retain only the first utterance from each person in the final recording. do not reorder or modify the words and noises. 133 first utterances

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ben dalton

simplicity studio