An Installation by GeneFreeProductions
(Marcy B. Freedman & Gene Panczenko)
Ambiguous Imperatives is a work of art designed to explore the various implications of the phrase "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." The installation provides visual and auditory experiences designed to provoke critical thinking about this shopworn - but timely cliche.
The central feature of the installation is an outmoded surveillance unit containing three monitors. A surveillance camera is mounted on the wall above the three screens. Viewers approaching the installation will see that the first monitor is labeled "See no evil." Soon, they will discover that they, themselves, are being filmed and that the screen they are watching contains an image of their own eyes, strategically positioned between the words "BLIND SPOT."
Moving to the center monitor, viewers will find a pair of headphones emerging from a shattered screen that is labeled "Hear no evil." Putting on the headphones, the listener will hear a sequence of soothing sounds, such as gentle rain, heartbeats, crickets, etc. Periodically, however, the pleasant soundtrack is interrupted by screams of terror, howls of agony, and other unpleasant auditory information.
Finally, the viewer will approach the third monitor, which is labeled "Speak no evil." A strange video image is accompanied by a hoarse male voice that repeats a series of statements about verbal communication. Shut Up! What did you say? I can't hear you! Phrases such as these issue from a bizarre and unappealing orifice, which is, in fact, the larynx and vocal cords of the speaker.
In addition to focusing one's attention upon the sensory experiences of looking, hearing, and speaking, Ambiguous Imperatives calls attention to the ambiguity of the phrase "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." Is this wellknown adage merely a lesson for children, warning them to beware of bad people and to refrain from listening to or spreading gossip? Or is it a dangerously repressive admonition to adults, encouraging them to wear blinders and to overlook the darker aspects of one's own being and the troubling nature of human existence? Certainly, recent events suggest that no one can afford to ignore the presence of evil in the contemporary world.