Magnetically Inclined
Ted Hiebert & Doug Jarvis
The 50/50 Arts Collective
Victoria (BC) Canada, November 23-December 2, 2007
Truck Contemporary Art
Calgary (AB) Canada, July 9-August 5, 2010
Digital Art Weeks 10
Xi'an Academy of Fine Art, Xi'an, China, July 2-16, 2010
Magnetically Inclined: Victoria, BC
Magnetically Inclined
a Noxious Sector project
Magnetically Inclined is an exploration of the relationship between the mind and high powered rare earth magnets, in which we placed magnets in close proximity to our heads in order to explore aspects of magnetic induction. The project is based on the story of Dr. Michael Persinger, a Canadian psychologist who used magnetic stimulation of the temporal lobes to trigger a spiritual response in himself and others. And, while his experimentation was strictly scientific, ours instead takes a series of artistic liberties for the sake of magnetic and imaginative stimulation. The first iteration of the project was an exploration of the urban geography of Victoria, BC with an eye to its potentially (magnetic) attractive qualities -- and a documentation of the exploration. What results is both benign (in the sense that we are literally "sticking our heads" to various urban objects) and volatile (in the sense that there is some uncertainty as to the results of prolonged magnetic exposure). The second iteration of the project was a repeat performance in Calgary, AB where we increased both the number and intensity of the magnets and the duration of the wandering. Most recently we have turned to video for time-based documentations of the actions, constraining activity by using perimeter fences as the magnetic surfaces for interactio.