by Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert & Omiros Panayides
“Tracking the Loving Gaze” is a limited-edition artist book.
Book Designer: Philippos Vasiliades.
An original print included at the back of the book. There are 100 copies available in total.
About the project:
We asked 30 people to provide us with a photograph they love or one with a very special meaning for them. Then, we used an eye tracker – a device usually used in psychology, marketing, and human-computer interaction research – to measure the point of gaze (where one is looking at) and its duration.
An eye-tracker provides raw visual data, such as heat maps, focus maps, or scan paths. For us, these visual data were the primary source for this work.
TRACKING THE LOVING GAZE: HEAT MAPS
For the first part of the work – “Tracking the Loving Gaze: Heat Maps” – we transferred the participants’ “heat maps” on films and then developed them in the photographic darkroom on gelatin silver print paper.
Effectively, we started with photographs provided by the participants, tracked the participants’ “loving gaze” with the help of a technological device, and fixed that gaze on photographic paper in the traditional darkroom. The thirty pieces are unique (1 of 1) as is our experience with a photograph we love.
TRACKING THE LOVING GAZE: ABSENCES
The second part, “Tracking the Loving Gaze: Absences”, consists of five images provided by participants. However, it’s impossible for the common viewer to see what the owner of the photograph sees. The area most viewed by the owner, is obscured.
TRACKING THE LOVING GAZE: SCAN PATHS
Finally, the third part, “Tracking the Loving Gaze: Scan Paths” is an installation of four videos. The visitor can follow the gaze of a photograph’s owner in “real-time”. The title and participants’ descriptions are an integral part of the work.
The book is the fourth part of the project and provides a unique blend of the work.
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