Neely Goniodsky
Vacuum
An interactive video installation where viewers control characters onscreen telling a narrative about suburban boredom and loneliness.
Picking up on the passerby’s movement, drawn characters mirror the viewers. Recognizing themselves on screen, the audience participates in a progression of scenes telling a story of a single mother with two kids stuck in a small stuffy house in the suburbs. The scenes range from mundane TV-watching, where the audience silhouettes appear on screen inside a TV, to utterly surreal such as being lost in a gargantuan carpet, being bombarded with falling furniture clutter, or having the walls close in on the viewers creating a claustrophobic effect.
This installation uses Microsoft Kinect sensor, Processing software, and hand drawn animation.
About the Artist
Goniodsky was born in Russia and lived in Israel, Canada and UK. She has a BA in animation from Concordia University, Montreal, and an MA from the Royal College of Art, London. Their body of work includes video installations, paintings, drawings and collage, with concentration on animated films. In 2016 Goniodsky participated in the NW Film Forum residency and in 2017 received 4Culture funding for this interactive video installation. She is also a recipient of numerous Canada Council and CALQ grants. Their work has been screened at many local and international film festivals, including the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, Anifilm Czech Republic, Animafest Zagreb, NW Animation Festival in Portland, and Encounters, Bristol, UK.