Shivering in Anticipation: The Making of Shiver

Shiver is the first completed work in the series of four immersive, interactive environments called Cutaneous Habitat. It consists of 23 components that connect to create a self-supporting structure that is meant to be experienced from both the interior and exterior.  Upon entering the artwork, trickling flows of water travel around the room in relation to viewer movements. The flows form curving, crawling rivulets, similar to what in seen on wet, human skin.

These four videos document the research and design process behind the artwork. My unifying thesis is that the edge between body and space forms a fluctuating borderland that is always present.  My projects strive to bring that boundary to the forefront of consciousness, by engaging the biological, physiological and psychological aspects of skin as mechanism and metaphor.  Organic elements in the four works planned for the series include water, air movement, heat, magnetism and tingling.  Each element has a distinct way of engaging the body surface, activating the senses and bringing the body into direct relationship with its environment.  My goal is to restate the value of skin as a sensor that gauges conditions and acts as a harbinger for intuitive knowing.