“Observer” is a sculptural installation made by Jodi Sharp and Mike Everson that showed at Nectr 2018 in Quebec. Based on the concept of the observer effect, this piece was only fully engaged through the participation of the viewer.

We arrived at Nectr in the middle of the night having never been there before. It was pouring rain for most of that day and we had to haul in our gear through troughs of mud.

 Luckily by the next day the weather cleared up and we were able to set up in the sun.

 The dome went up quickly and easily.

 The sculpture however, was a pain. I had made it out of cheap materials as a last minute option and I wasn't overly happy with the results.

 All the electronics worked though, so at the very least we would be able to test our idea.

We worked well into dark, but at last we had a working art piece.  

In “Observer,” the participant enters an unlit dome with a single lit platform in the middle.

When the participant steps on the platform it triggers a reaction in which three sculptures hanging from the ceiling light up and begin to move.

As soon as the participant steps off, the dome darkens once more.

In physics, the observer effect is the theory that simply observing a situation or phenomenon necessarily changes that phenomenon. This is often the result of instruments that, by necessity, alter the state of what they measure in some manner.

This idea that observation affects reality and the possibility we may construct our world with our perceptions, brings up much philosophical debate around the idea that there is no reality other than that which we create.

This piece brings into discussion the idea that our participation and observation could create realty.

“Observer” will be revamped in more durable material and will show next at taBURNak! 9 in Montreal, Quebec.