P004 → The stars are projectors yeah, 2022
The stars are projectors yeah, 2022
Image projection, cotton fabric, analog circuitry, vibration motors, plinth
Smith’s third year BFA project, “The stars are projectors yeah” (2022), reflects on interactions with human-made light and sensory experiences. This piece defamiliarizes everyday lights and colours for viewers to experience them in a new way–heightening the average to encounter the sublime.
The piece is a reflection on Viktor Shklovsky’s theory of defamiliarization from “Art, as Device” (1979). In it, he articulates links between colour, light, mental health, and human connection. Shklovsky proposed that defamiliarizing concepts for the viewer allows them to engage with artwork; they see it instead of being solely recognized then passed by. “The stars are projectors yeah” questions the semiological meaning we have imposed on everyday light, colour, and coloured light which has left us to recognize them, but not to see them as objects of wonder.