Terrors of the Breakfast Table

Description

Terrors of the Breakfast Table is an experimental video that invites participation. The story follows a boy on a contemplative journey about life and death. Heavily symbolic, it unfolds in an impressionistic way, with interludes of brilliant cinematography and atmospheric sound. The story is also a dreamscape, as the boy weaves in and out of consciousness, visualizing memories, familiar landscapes, and symbolic environments. The piece ruminates on the elusiveness of the mind and body, and the functions of the body—such as breathing—that seem to be invisible.

In a confounding exploration of these ideas, Tekatch designed the video installation so that the visitor’s breath causes changes to the visuals and sound. On the table in the gallery space, subtle technologies sense a viewer’s breath, triggering thought-provoking interactive elements. These include a dream montage, the pace of a scene, the ambient sound, and the brightness of the visuals.

Notes

Created in collaboration with Tyler Tekatch and Joseph Browne, Kyle Duffield was the interactive designer and software programmer for this project. Terrors of the Breakfast Table is the first digital interactive piece to become part of the Art Gallery of Hamilton's permanent collection.

This piece was mentioned in Art Daily.

This piece was commissioned within the Interactive Digital Media Incubator program at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, which was made possible with the generous support of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Museums and Technology Fund.