Video Installation, 2026
Single-channel video, aluminum frame, foam board, HD video with sound, color, 46 min (short version) / 2 hr 12 min (long version), looped
Interviews with Two Strangers
A video installation and a series of conversations exploring the essence of conversation, this project is made in collaboration with nine theatre practitioners who have helped shape the history of NYC’s downtown experimental theatre scene.
Interviews with Two Strangers is made in collaboration with nine theatre practitioners over the age of 60 who have helped shape the history of NYC’s downtown experimental theatre scene. In a series of framed encounters, each participant engages in two conversations: one with a chatbot programmed to simulate the artist’s conversation style and acting as her proxy, followed by an in-person discussion with the artist herself. The chatbot interaction is saved in text; while the in-person dialogue is recorded as video.
Having experienced multiple shifts in media and communication, these participants carry long memories of curiosity, resistance, and adaptation. While a chatbot can always provide smooth answers with almost no lag time, the human-to-human interactions remain nuanced, messy, and layered. By situating theatre practitioners within an encounter with algorithmic simulation, the work probes what cannot be staged, generated, or proxied.
Participants (in order of appearance): Potri Ranka Manis, John Jesurun, Onni Johnson, Lois Weaver, Valois Marie Mickens, Tamar Rogoff, Mary Fulham, Yoshiko Chuma, Peggy Shaw
Outreach: Sarah Murphy (La MaMa ETC), Violeta Picayo (La MaMa ETC), Mattie Barber-Bockelman (CultureHub), Billy Clark (CultureHub)
Original Footage Shot By: Sangmin Chae (CultureHub), DeAndra Anthony (CultureHub)
Installation Fabrication: Thom Chiu
This project is made possible with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
