Two Way Mirror

Two Way Mirror appeared at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, on July 7th and 8th, 2018. The installation was part of SoundScene XI, a festival put on by DC Listening Lounge. Phil worked with a team of four designers and engineers to produce the work in under 3 weeks.

Two Way Mirror featured two video stations (at different locations) where a viewer sits and puts on headphones. Each station is nestled within a tent structure to help the viewer relax in a calm, private setting away from the museum's hustle and bustle. The viewer presses a button to begin a series of brief videos with subtle audio components that target a phenomenon called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. Millions of people have been made aware of ASMR through popular media and video streaming sites. To some it conveys a deep relaxation and tingling sensation.

A few random recorded clips of previous visitors to the station are also included in the video rotation. The viewer realizes that he or she may also have been recorded and might later be viewed by others. In this space -- a juxtaposition of ease and exposure -- the viewer is prompted to consider ideas of trust and intimacy in a digital world.