Performance / Avatar
2013 – on-going

• Open experiment in applied personality transfer.
• Summoned using a blind mask molded from the face, containing  bodily fluids and energies, ritually brought to life.
• Appears human but lacks mental perspective. Perception restrained to first level abstractions.
• Allows bypassing of the brain’s cognitive machinery to free intuitive and spontaneous behaviors.
• While it looks out, one may look in. Temporal relief from functional prerogatives.
• Collective personality, cannot be terminally linked to an individual.

Preparing

• Cut plaster roll into strips of 25/30 cm.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water and mix with your body fluids.
• Place masking tape or gel on your brows and lashes, shave if you need to.

Building

• Soak the plaster strips into the bowl one by one and place them on your face vertically from top to bottom, slightly overlapping. Press and mold to your features, cut out breathing holes for the mouth and nostrils.
• Place a second layer of plaster strips horizontally on top of the first and repeat at will.
• While the plaster dries (30 minutes), transfer part of your personality to the mask. Do this by looking at yourself into the mirror through the mask, letting it slowly become aware of its existence. Do not concentrate or direct your thoughts, let him do the job. Do not fall asleep as parts of your personality may fail to be transferred.
• Ounce the transfer is complete and the plaster is dry, carefully remove the mask starting from the edges. let it settle for 24 hours.
• Paint the mask with acrylic colors and make the eyes to be wide open. Do not make it look good, make it look like yourself. Let the paint dry.
• Cut a thick rubber band to length, and staple it on both sides at ear height.
• Both of you take a good rest.

Using

• When needed, put on the mask and let Walter reveal itself. Try to let loose and not attempt to control your thoughts and actions.
• You may film or record a session, share it or make it public, while not betraying the state (do not keep track of time or execute a precise sequence of movements, etc).
• A good way to make fast contact is to throw a fit of fast and chaotic movements and sounds as soon as the mask is on. This allows personalities to settle into a new order, and avoids residues of energy to get stuck in the folds.
• Any technique or strategy may be used and combined (invocations, rituals, confessions, creative experience, problem solving, etc).

Vocalizing

Walter is given a voice through the conSEQuencer.  A recorded invocation is played back and distorted according to his body movements.

Walters

The collective of photographers la GROTTE from Brussels uses the Walter Project as part of their latest exposition Lucie , presented at Point Culture, Louvain-la-Neuve.