Choice
Choice is a work by xoxox, the pseudonym for the artist Erik Hoff Rzepka. The piece is an interactive flash website in which users are invited to click on multiple images of an indiscernible object.
Formal Analysis
Choice features multiple images of the same object on a plain black background. The object, though unrecognisable, is reminiscent of something grotesque. Rzepka's scope of work intersects both art and science[1], so the object could possible be that of a human organ. Once the page is loaded, the images of the object are scattered throughout the screen. The user chooses one image to click on, and upon clicking, the chosen image will gravitate towards the centre of the screen. The other images will scatter throughout the space randomly. To repeat this process, the user is not allowed to reselect the same image (now in the centre), but must click on a different image in the space. Regardless of the location of the chosen object, it will always gravitate to the same place on the screen.
Subject Matter
Though the piece is called Choice, there is a limit to this choice. While users are able to choose which image to click on, they cannot choose where its location will end up. Ultimately, the location always remains the same. Users are reminded of the consequences of their choices, consequences that sometimes go beyond our control. After selecting and clicking on the desired image, the other objects will disperse across the screen in an unpredictable manner. The choice the user makes affects everything within the space. One important aspect of Rzpeka's piece, is that the objects will never return to its original locations. Once the user interacts with the objects, our actions are irreversible as it is impossible to place the objects back in their initial positions.
References
Authors
Kathleen Escanan & Kathy Li, 2014.