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Alexandra Dementieva 03-01-2015
The installation is a type of cyclorama encircling its audience, which enters into it to watch a video that is presented like an extended film episode. A pretty blond woman is walking around circle dressed in sexy, white, loosely tied home dress. She looks preoccupied and insecure. From time to time she says something unintelligible, but it is rather a murmur than clearly spoken words. It seems that she is deeply immersed in her thoughts. The world around doesn't interest her. Periodically, she turns her head, as if someone could pursue her. At this point, her steps quickened, she ceases to control her gestures and accented elegance of her image, maintained consciously by her. When she becomes aware that danger is not here anymore, she returns to her walking rhythm.
Suddenly she stares at a viewer, while continuing to move. Uncertain smile begins to wander on her face, and it seems that she is trying to catch a visitor 's sight - searching for empathy, support. She stops but just for a second and she starts to move again.

She is as one of Hitchcock heroines who tend to be lovely, cool blondes, who seem proper at first but we could expect them to respond in a more sensual, animal, or even criminal way, when aroused by passion or danger.
She is not alone. And we can see this, when suddenly from her behind strange figure appears. It could be a woman walking purposefully ahead, indomitable and fearless. She holds an object in her hands, carefully hiding it from the eyes of women and the viewers. After a few meters, she disappears, leaving an unpleasant feeling of anxiety.
It could be a man trying to catch up with the woman. But his limping gait and clumsy movements give the woman an advantage and she rushes to escape without looking back. When man suddenly stops and vanishes without a trace, she calms down after a while. She arranges herself, looking in the mirror, and continues on her way.
She is mysterious woman as Lynch's female character. We observe her obsessive behavior and begin to be consumed by her mystery.

All movies are filmed in references of spoofs and parodies scenes from various nightmarish, disturbing black & white films of confused identities, human vulnerability, sexual victimization and dark histories.

Like many thrillers, the video plot seems to be so complex that prolonged viewings are necessary to capture all its subtlety. The sporadic ghostly apparition of the other two film characters moving silently in front or behind the woman arouses pulsating interest. Although nothing frightening or captivating happens in what are rather monotonous scenes, the horror or suspense is created in the mind of the audience, whose collective subconscious memory has been influenced by the mass media.

The tension drama and emotion created by the soundscape where we seem out of place. The lack of story telling makes watching this films as a more puzzling experience. The paradox is in crossing the familiar with unfamiliar that we feel prompted to solve puzzle and stay longer. Use direction speakers emphasize the feeling of involvement.
The linear cinematic narrative spread across the circumference of the screen destroys the limits of cinematic perception and experience, and integrates the spectator into the work. Unlike traditional cinema, in which the interaction of the static spectator is merely a mental event, the interactivity in 'Step in Panorama' allows various types of physical navigation or assembly that go far beyond the purely psychological. Through a coordinated juxtaposition in the montage captivated spectators are performing a continuous ‘common movement’, rotating slowly to very fast to follow the actress till dizziness and lost of balance. But the characters’ disappearance provokes disorder in the coagulated audience as the viewers, intrigued and confused, begin to turn around chaotically in search of the diaphanous figures. The idea of a participatory audience is thus stretched further as both the actors and the audience perform.

Interaction's modes

In all three parts we see the same three characters.
First mode - I named it cinematographic one, - is not interactive in sense of programming. The main personage (a blonde young lady), living through an existential drama, attracts a spectator in long observation, time by time interrupted by other two heroes involved in film's action. Her mood is changing from depressive state to joyful and provocative, then it replaced by anger and dissatisfaction and ends by a long Edvard Munch like scream. Its length is 15 minutes
Second mode is links to visitor's time inside of panorama. More he/she is watching the video, more different personages arrive on screen, walking slowly and staring on a newcomer. Visitor becomes an actor and a main topic of observation by virtual people.
Third is divided in 4 parts (it correspondes to the lenth of film 15') following change in mood of the main caracter. The space inside panorama has three interactive zones. Each zone has its own script and its own heroes.



Spatial description

Panorama is an installation's project in which the spectators can interact with the work in the immersive ambient environment. Exploiting the technology of 360-degree projection developed in the 50s, the set utilizes aspects of the surrounding environment as a vehicle for impacting on the audience both mentally and physically: the movements of the characters are designed to trigger the movement of the audience. The use of modern technology gives a possibility to explore the complexity of common behavioral patterns as well as the public’s “iconophilia”, or constant manic love for images.
Panorama is presented in a dark room, where a multi-video projection is shown on the inside of a circular screen attached to a large cylindrical stretcher 1.70 meters high and almost 4.80 meters in diameter suspended in mid-air (attached on ceiling), 130 cm above the floor. 3 video projectors and 8 speakers are fixed on panorama side attached on ceiling. A reflection from the illuminated screen forms a light circle on the floor below, evoking the image of an arena. Outside of panorama is lit by 4 small projectors.