diegetic. as witnessed, is a site-specific interactive video projection where movement on the street triggers the gaze of a large-scale video portrait on the storefront window. Since the space is in transition, between what was once there to what soon will be, I want to use this flux as a means to reflect on the idea of change. I invite people who have lived in the community for a generation to sit as the video portraits, as those who have watched and witnessed this neighborhood’s ebb and flow. A website with an interview per person will accompany the show on www.niknaz.net/harlem. Once the projections go up, those neighborhood legacy carriers will watch over Amsterdam Ave, creating a narrative of movement, familiarity and community.

The projections will run every Weds – Sat from dusk until dawn.

November 28 – December 15

This site with the interviews will remain up indefinitely.

Documentation – diegetic. as witnessed. A site-specific interactive installation from Niknaz Tavakolian on Vimeo.