Polyphonic exhibition(5.12-5.16) feedback

This is the version recorded in the crypt gallery using zoom h3.

This is the crypt gallery venue display.

Overall, this documentary was not always on at all times due to the equipment and power constraints of the venue. However, this did ensure that I could observe the audience in real-time and get feedback during each screening.

Most of the audience didn’t wear headphones at first because the venue was too dark (all the lights were turned off when the film was shown) or because they didn’t realise that headphones were an essential part of the work. When we found this out, we wrote tips and placed them at the entrance and on the benches reminding people to put on headphones.

Most of the audience did not watch the full 25 minutes of the film, but I received positive feedback from everyone willing to sit on the bench and watch the entire 25 minutes, saying it was an immersive experience. One viewer commented that it was so oppressive every time the underground or train moved that he had goosebumps the whole time. One person commented that the echoing of the vocals inside the headphones and the outside vocals was great. One viewer commented that they entered the film at times, but in the next scene, they were removed from the first-person perspective and could feel detached and disconnected, as if they were watching from a third-party perspective.

These are the feelings and experiences I want to achieve and bring to the audience.

Not all feedback was positive, of course. Some viewers said that the outside sound wasn’t really clear with the headphones on, but with the headphones off, there was no way to hear the vocals.

In fact, with the headphones on, we could hear Maiy’s voice and enter Maiy’s world. Like her, we couldn’t see the world clearly. It was always like there was a layer between us. This feels like a society she has never been a part of and a gender she has never accepted. But when we remove the headphones, we come out of Maiy’s world, and the world emerges in its rawest and clearest form. This part is, of course, an afterthought on my part. I still wish to find a better output device that would not compromise the clarity of the outside world but also achieve the current vocal effect.

Finally, the soundstage that comes with the Crypt gallery is excellent.