Fake Mirror is an interactive installation that asks: How does taking a photo of a work-of-art affect your experience of the piece?

We created an installation that explores excessive photo-taking in museums to encourage conversation or reflection on these trends and their effects on the consumption of art.

In its ambient mode, this installation displays Rene Magritte's famous 1928 painting False Mirror, with the sky slowly moving in the background. We chose this painting because of its recognizability as an iconic piece of art and also its ability to build a relationship instantaneously with a viewer. The False Mirror is animate. It is staring at the viewer, acknowledging their presence, while seemingly benign.

When someone approaches the piece and raises their phone to take a photo, the content suddenly changes to one of the six options above, one of which is a live webcam so that the viewer sees themself attempting to take a photo of, or selfie with, the installation. We chose these reactions because they felt surreal and intentionally are not what the photo-taker is trying to capture. They 'ruin' the photo. It is an art piece that reacts to the photo-takers disrespect with a defense mechanism, not allowing the picture to be taken.

This project was made in collaboration with Kelsey Leuenberger, Nicole Lloyd, and Haley Mittelstaedt.