black box

noun.

1. see event recorder.

2. a usually large, square room with black walls used as a space for theatrical performances.

3. a. a device or theoretical construct known or specified performance characteristics but unknown or unspecified constituents and means of operations. b. something that is mysterious, especially regarding its function.

The black box theory of consciousness states that the mind is fully understood once the inputs and outputs are well defined, and generally couples this with a radical skepticism regarding the possibility of ever successfully describing the underlying structure, mechanism, and dynamics of the mind.

This work considers personal loss and a variety of methods used to tend pain. The black box created here can be used to guide you through your loss, or to share in a moment of another’s.

…

“Black Box” exists as part of an ongoing series exploring the parameters of grief and loss. In the first iteration, I invite the viewer to choose a song that has resonated with them in a time of loss, and we lie together listening to their song. A playlist forms, to be shared with others during personal moments of grief.

In the second iteration, the gallery becomes the box, and to enter, the viewer chooses a song at the door. The song is then shared with all who are inside the gallery, and together they listen.