Paralogue

2017-2019

Device

Paralogue is a work that creates a hybrid body where the self and the other overlap by allowing another person to "parasitize" one’s own arm.

In this work, a "host" wearing a dedicated device on their arm has their hand and arm movements controlled via EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation), independent of their own will. The arm begins to behave as if possessed by a "parasite" located at a remote site. The voice and head movements of the remote parasite are converted in real-time into the movements of the host’s fingers and arms through electrical stimulation. Meanwhile, the parasite, wearing a Head-Mounted Display (HMD), can interact with the host through a camera and speaker attached to the host’s fingertips. Through this system, the "presence" of the parasite is manifested within the host’s body.

In this moment, the arm—which until then had been an unquestionable part of the host’s own body—emerges as an "other" possessed of its own ego.