Vox Pop

Vox Pop is a video project by Antonia Hirsch, displayed every 3 minutes on dual screens above the intersection of Robson and Granville Streets in Vancouver, Canada.

A slow circular pan, moving at the speed of an Audience Wave, maps the interior of an empty sports stadium while a solitary spectator sits passively. Eventually he rises, as if to participate in the Wave.

Without the presence of the crowd to complete the effect of the participatory cheer, his peculiar salute seems ominous and unsettling. Not shared with others in the circular sweep of the stadium, it summons up both the history of the arena in western culture and the evolution of the salute gesture. The stranded fan performs his part in isolation, his 'community' imaginary - making his action deliberate and personal.

Silent, and consisting of two one-minute segments, Vox Pop slows down the rapid pace of the advertising stream, itself a mass spectacle in the city. Vox Pop troubles the site of recreation, competition, and the particular dynamic of the collective. It draws attention to the spaces and behaviours through which we are encouraged to perform and celebrate shared values in a subtly provocative investigation of the individual within the crowd.

Please visit othersights.ca and antoniahirsch.com for additional information.

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