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Colette Copeland is a interdisciplinary visual artist, arts educator, social activist and cultural critic/writer whose work examines issues surrounding gender, death and contemporary culture. Sourcing personal narratives and popular media, she utilizes video, photography, performance and sculptural installation to question societal roles and the pervasive influence of media, and technology on our communal enculturation.

Video Art & Short Film

Transcending the Solemn Geography of Human Limits….. or Not

The study of proxemics introduced by anthropologist Edward Hall in 1959 describes specific measurable distances between people as they interact. From his studies, Hall determined that the distance defining a person’s personal space (or the region surrounding a person which constitutes their domain or territory) shifts depending on whether they know the person and the degree of intimacy. According to Hall’s research, personal distance for interactions among good friends ranges from 1.5 feet to 4 feet and intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering ranges from 1.5 feet to 6 inches. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxemics#Types_of_space)

In this video, I was interested in engaging in my family’s personal space. Despite the fact that we live together and know each other intimately, at what point do they become uncomfortable or feel as though I’ve violated their personal space? The video also refers back to the childhood game of stare down. Whoever blinks first loses.

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