PS mirror on wall person listening to PS mirror

PS is a talking mirror installation. The mirror engages potential participants by calling out, “Psst.” Upon leaning in close, the mirror whispers a secret. The mirror only reveals a single secret at a time. Once the participant walks away, the mirror returns to soliciting.

Why secrets? Secrets are an established mode of communication. They simultaneously provide a release for the author while acting as an offering to the receiver.

A secret is a way of recognizing part of the self at a distance. A mirror is a codified way of seeing the self which is not the self but the other. PS’ use of a mirror invites the receiver to consider the part of them tied to the secret.

The work was part of Collision Collective #7 at Art Interactive, Cambridge, MA; part of the Boston Cyberarts Festival 2005 at the MIT Stata Center, Cambridge, MA; and showed at the Clifford Smith Gallery, Boston, MA.