Inspired by reaction videos that began to proliferate on the Internet in the mid-00s, Emily’s Video is a 15-minute video that compiles viewers’ reactions to an apparently horrible, mysterious, footage sourced from the darknet. The people shown represent a random selection of volunteers who replied to our online call, those who responded were visited by a girl named Emily (hence the title), who would enter their homes to display the video, and record each reaction with a webcam. We later destroyed the original video.
Screenshots from video
Excerpts of Emily’s Video reactions were first distributed through YouTube.
Installed at Fotomuseum Winterthur
The video is displayed on a large vertical monitor leaning on a wall, located where visitors can only see the back of it upon entering. The image occupies just a third of the monitor, turning the rest of the screen into a black mirror. Viewers come around the side of the monitor to see their own reactions reflected next to the video.
Commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde