EMOTUS ESSES

What is photography’s role today in this complex area of the expression of emotions?

Starting from the experimentation of Duchenne de Boulogne, and the instrumental use of photography in recording the results for his work “Mécanismes de la physiologie humaine ou analyse électrophysiologique de l’expression des passions”, over the course of a month a group of 11 volunteers, guided by the photographer Susana Paiva, tested several possibilities of articulation, but also of language, as it is required today, 152 years after that publication.

Using a simple three-level structure — reflection, experimentation/creation and communication — the participants in the project “LabX – eXperimental photography laboratory” will design a set of multisensory devices to be shared with the public on the three days of presentation of “A Expressão das Emoções”, at Teatro da Cerca de São Bernardo. These devices aim at extending the overall experience of the show, adding new levels of experimentation to the spectators.

These small and ephemeral artistic projects, designed to enhance the expression of emotions in a world so lacking in opportunities to do so, are thus an invitation to all spectators who, in the moments preceding or following the show “The Expression of Emotions” wish to reflect, experiment or communicate around this fascinating and seemingly endless field.

— Susana Paiva, LabX coordinator