Gusztáv Hámos
Moebius Circus
Male and Female

Interactive installation with video projection 1995-96

The space is designated by four perpendicular screens arranged around a square in which the two opposite corners are open so that visitors can walk in and out through them.
Along the diagonal, between the corners described, the space is divided into two parts: A and B. A woman floats through the screens in part A, while a man appears on the screens belonging to part B.





The camera on the A side films the screen on side B, and vice versa, creating a closed circuit in which the female body from A and the male body from B appear in the same image but cannot touch each other.





When a viewer enters side B, s/he occupies the man's space, the male body disappears and the viewer sees her/himself together with the female body in one space but cannot touch her. The same applies if someone enters from side A: they occupy the space of the female body and see themselves together with the male body but cannout touch him.





If the viewer enters the centre of the space, s/he is present in both A and B, both the male and the female body disappear and the viewer sees her/himself alone. At this point, a photographer enters the picture and photographs the viewer. However, this happens only when the viewer is alone. The spectator can only view her/himself properly when no one else is there to disturb them.





When the viewer enters the space together with others, then they will observe the chaos which a crowd creates in this perpetual motion circuit: neither the man, the woman, nor the photographer appear, and no photograph is taken.



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