Lynn Hershman Leeson
Deep Contact
1984-89
In this interactive videodisk installation, users are invited to use a Microtouch monitor to directly touch the body parts of a female character named Marion. A surveillance camera registers the visitor’s presence, triggering Marion to entice them to begin the action. Depending on what body part is touched, a complex web of episodes unfolds. Touching Marion’s head, for example, activates a series of TV channels that give brief, witty accounts of reproductive technologies and their effects on perceptions of women’s bodies. 57 different possible segments comprise the user’s unique journey, sometimes with a Zen Master, other times with Marion, throughout the work. This piece was a collaboration with Sarah Roberts.