Alexandra DEMENTIEVA takes part in FILE São Paulo 2015, the Electronic Language International Festival from 16 June until 16 August, with the installation ‘Breathless’.

A computer searches for all words related to the concept of fear and desire in the RSS and web feed. Each word found is printed on a LED display. The individual ribs surrounding the viewer in the two parts of the installation react to the data, lighting up in a movement from bottom to top as results render matches with the alternating words. The more hits, the more light is cast beyond the fleeting headlines and tendentious news trends while entranced viewers try to catch their breath within technological bodies.
The spectator can walk inside the actual cabin, where an airspeed sensor is located. When she/he blows on it, the pattern of illumination changes, and the words on display begin to fade, which makes room to a meaningless set of characters and letters. The simple act of breathing becomes visible and important as a symbolic resistance to the power of the mass media.

Find more info and a video of the installation here.