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Named after it’s psychological term, Rapid-Cycling is a metaphor for being in a state of mania and depression interchanging at an extremely fast pace. Through this audiovisual installation, Peel seeks to express an internal sense of constancy being continually interrupted by extreme moods. In Emily Martin’s ethnography of bipolar disorder, she describes a double-awareness in bipolar patients. The patients she surveys describe feeling as though they have more than one person inside at the same time, swiftly alternating with each other. These alternative selves interrupt their internal sense constancy.1
Computer generated flashing colours and sounds continually interrupt Peel’s large-scale digital projection of rippling water. The transitions are fast between jarring audiovisual content, inflicting a sense of unease on the viewer. The durations between each transition are random, reflecting a sense instability and uncertainty that may be experienced by those affected by bipolar.
Being in a manic or depressive state may not only affect internal perceptions, but external. When manic or depressed, a patient may find their experience of the world speeding up or slowing down. In Rapid-Cycling, the animated colours alternate between stillness, and flashing at 60 frames per second. The eye has difficulties perceiving such rapid shifts, creating an optical illusion. This illusionism reflects a potential inability to perceive internal and external situations when experiencing mania or depression.
Named after it’s psychological term, Rapid-Cycling is a metaphor for being in a state of mania and depression interchanging at an extremely fast pace. Through this audiovisual installation, Peel seeks to express an internal sense of constancy being continually interrupted by extreme moods. In Emily Martin’s ethnography of bipolar disorder, she describes a double-awareness in bipolar patients. The patients she surveys describe feeling as though they have more than one person inside at the same time, swiftly alternating with each other. These alternative selves interrupt their internal sense constancy.1
Computer generated flashing colours and sounds continually interrupt Peel’s large-scale digital projection of rippling water. The transitions are fast between jarring audiovisual content, inflicting a sense of unease on the viewer. The durations between each transition are random, reflecting a sense instability and uncertainty that may be experienced by those affected by bipolar.
Being in a manic or depressive state may not only affect internal perceptions, but external. When manic or depressed, a patient may find their experience of the world speeding up or slowing down. In Rapid-Cycling, the animated colours alternate between stillness, and flashing at 60 frames per second. The eye has difficulties perceiving such rapid shifts, creating an optical illusion. This illusionism reflects a potential inability to perceive internal and external situations when experiencing mania or depression.
