Proximity Cinéma

Artist, Tiffany Trenda created a suit with thirty-eight cell phone screens that revealed images of her body, representing selfies. The images on these devices could change either by touch or from the proximity sensors found on the suit. 

The performance was inspired by Valie Export's 1968 piece, Tap and Touch Cinéma, which commented on the male gaze in cinematic history and how it objectified woman. While Value Export used a cardboard box, Trenda opted to use cell phone screens to show a modern-day version of the intimate experience. In Trenda’s work, the public were invited to touch either her body or a screen. However, the cell phones became the preferred choice.

This performance project commented on the fetishization of the female body in relation to social media and smartphones.  While Value Export focused on than the male gaze of cinema, Trenda’s work reflected how women have shifted control from the traditional male gaze to female power, and the female body is both the subject and object of desire. This transfers the power structures through representation.

Proximity Cinéma premiered during the 55th Annual Venice Biennale and performed at Brand Library and Art Center in Pasadena, Scope Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland; Boulder Contemporary Art Museum, Context Art Miami, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, LACE, Laboratorio Arte Alameda in Mexico City, Art Center Nabi in South Korea, and Spring Break Art Fair in Los Angeles. See the about page for a full list.