Perpendicular Eye Stalk is an installation comprised of a four foot tall steel structure with 12 inch acrylic eyes that follow a visitor as they move in front of the piece. It is an attempt to create an archetypal example of what Tom Igoe refers to as the “Scooby-Doo painting”.
The piece is an excerpt from Trigger in Norway. In that work, a single motorized “eye” encased in a steel and glass cube moves back and forth like a sentry, changing its behavior and coloring depending on the presence of people. This version makes the “eyeball” analogy more explicit. Two hemispheres follow a person in front of the work. If someone comes too close, the eyes will “look away,” as if they were shy. Simple color changes in the iris of the eyes will indicate the various stages of the eye; an “attract” mode while waiting for someone, a “following” color, and a “shy” color.
