Di-Stress

• Main Author: Tay, Chee Shan
• Other Authors: Louis-Philippe Demers
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/74456
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Di-stress is an installation of a series of performance art videos that explores the theme of releasing negative emotions, namely stress. It uses exaggerated actions to emphasize the irony of stress relief methods. Through the irony and comedic elements, it aims to bring up the topic of over-reliance on venting methods and how they usually don’t resolve the root of the issue. The set on installation is a total of 5 iMacs playing the videos in constant loops. 4 of them will play videos cut to approximately 1 min in length and displayed in a split screen manner, while the remaining iMac will play each video in its entirety. There is no guarantee of viewers staying long enough to see all the works, so short split-screen versions are necessary to both pique interest and to keep viewers in. Beanbags are also provided within the installation to make a cosier environment. The feeling of being sucked into a beanbag is necessary to impart the sense of indulgence. This indulgence is then defied by the lack of immediate gains or learning from watching the videos which in turn creates a performance art of its own, but this time with the viewers as the actors and the centrepiece, without their knowledge.