On Halloween night, 1996,
the annual Diversity in the Arts show was being held
inside the Shaffer Art building at Syracuse University.
As people approched the multimedia installation, their focus shifted to
the TV, where ripples were alive, flickering with brilliant colors.
Friend and esteemed painter, Bill Powheida, in a completely balligerant state
had no fear of the "Magic Screen" and threw his entire arm through the water, unaware that anything was there at all.
Water exploded everywhere and he went into what appeared to be sensory shock, and jumped around in circles for quite a while, screaming and hollaring.
The television shorted out, and the piece had to be shut down for about twenty minutes. It was noted that if the water had not been touched for a while, the surface
would build up a static electric charge, enough to actually shock. Water is a very good conductor of electricity.
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The particular room I was staying in was in what I could feel, a hot spot for powerlines. The tranformer box was located nearby, outside. I was not used to the differing electromagnetic fields surrounding powerlines because I come from a very rural area in the state of Vermont. I saw everything break down into a grid pattern. The electrical socket in wall stood out over everything else. It was luminescent. I had to get some fresh air. When I went out on the upstairs porch, I saw a powerline whip out from a street light and attach into the house at the moment there was a door slam. I shuttered away in fear. When I looked back, the same thing, whip - slam! I hesitated to look up again, because I knew if I did the same vision would occur. The longer I waited, the more anticipation would built up. Any glance produced the same effect. Every time the street lights arms lashed at me, the same door would slam. Altered states of consciousness bring about the most unusual brain chemestry effects. Trying to go to sleep that night was imposible. I got locked into a conversation with the downstairs neigbor, which wouldn't have been unusual if I wasn't talking to he and his wife through a TV set. No matter what station he turned to, it was me talking to him through another vibe. My buddy, Jon Allen, had a hard time sleeping that night too. He said, "your head wouldn't shut up for the love of god!" I found that night that an electromagnetic field can complety interfere with natural brainstates and make consciousness skip brain waves across everyday aplyances. The next day I drew a picture of a pizza box crossing my perfiperal line of sight infront of a sink, counter and refrigerator. That gave rise to what looked like an altered castle, and ultimately, this multimedia installation. | |||||||||||||||
![]() Yellow Period Portfolio |
![]() Ring of Keys Time Lapse |
![]() Infant Universe Poster |
![]() Cloudbreak Background |
![]() Rail Rodder Halloween Show |
![]() Threshold Rubbing Collage |
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