Description

This video installation consists of seven barrels filled with water. A monitor, placed at the bottom of each barrel, plays a looped video of approximately 30 minutes portraying the face of a person sleeping in real time. A different sleeper appears in each barrel, beneath the water. The room is illuminated only by the light emanating from the black and white monitors.

The installation consists mainly of seven barrels, seven black and white monitors and seven DVD players.

The work is installed in a closed room with flat ceiling. Walls are painted in light grey and ceiling in white. The seven barrels are placed on a raised floor covered with medium grey linoleum. The raised floor conceals the cables linking each monitor to the video players in the technical booth.

The seven barrels are filled with water. At the bottom of each barrel is a monitor set in a waterproof metal casing sealed with a plate of tempered glass. Each monitor plays a looped video of approximately 30 minutes portraying the face of a person sleeping in real time.

The monitors have been transformed, reducing the voltage in the power cables from 120 volts to 17 volts; these cables, running under the raised floor to the control room, are connected to a transformer which converts the voltage back to its initial 120 volts before connecting to the players.

The seven DVD players are installed in an ATA Flight case unit with a single plug. A small monitor is installed in this unit and serves to view the videos in each barrel. Four fans integrated in the unit prevent the DVD players from overheating.

A supply box is used to start and stop all DVD players at once and also serves as a tension regulator. The supply box will first shut off all the monitors and, one minute later, the seven DVD players.

Lighting

The room is illuminated only by the light emanating from the black and white monitors.

If the work is on loan, installation of the work must be supervised by a professional from the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

1- Plan for a closed room (at least on three sides), with a flat ceiling. The walls must be painted pale grey and the ceiling, white.

2- Position the location of the barrels on a plan.

3- Provide for a control room outside the room. Set up the DVD players and monitor for viewing the images, the fans and the supply box in the ATA Flight case unit.

4- Build a false floor to conceal the cables with a small slope for public access.

5- Install the cables under the false floor.

6- Install medium grey linoleum on the raised floor, identifying the location of the perforations for the cables. Make the perforations in the linoleum and pass the cables through for each barrel.

7- Place the barrels.

8- Secure the monitors in the cases at the bottom of the barrels.

9- Lay the barrels on their side in order to connect the ground and the power supply and DVD cables.

10- In the control room, connect the cables to the DVD players.

11- Clean the inside of the barrels, if necessary, and fill them with distilled water right to the edge.

Maintenance:

Change the water in the barrels on a regular basis during the exhibition. On a daily basis, vacuum any dirt floating on the water surface or any object dropped to the bottom of the barrels.