Installation view at Huuto Gallery. The video was exhibited together with Wolfman video as 10:51min dualscreen projection and strobe light.
Stillimage
The Bat Simulator
2015
duration 3:40 min
stereo audio
Helmet: ultrasonic sensor, speaker, arduino, battery, LED-lights
CAST&CREW
Bat:
Eero Yli-Vakkuri
Cinematographer:
Olli Horttana
Music:
Rasmus Hedlund
Soundmixer:
Kristian Ekholm
Studio photography:
Paavo Lehtonen
The video follow human-animal hybrid, a Batperson at nighttime in the city. The character in the video referring to popular culture, is an antiheroe who fight against everyday challenges in order to survive.
The man equipped with the senses of a bat navigates with the help of a bat simulator helmet. The helmet has an ultrasonic sensor, similar to a bat’s echolocation system, as well as a microprocessor and a speaker. The individual wearing the helmet hears the soundscape of the surrounding space created by the sensor data. In spite of his limitations, Batperson has found a way to survive in the city.
The protagonists’ way to survive in the city parallels the experiences of those in a weaker position, those struggling with discrimination and sensory limitations.
The video was exhibited with the helmet, for the audience to test what it feels like to be a bat.