PARESTHESIAS & PETRICHOR
PARESTHESIAS & PETRICHOR is a still evolving interactive artwork that gives voice to the ways human bodies sense and respond to environmental change. This work takes the form of a text and audio-based choose-your-own-adventure game designed for both solo, online play and for collective play in physical spaces. The first iteration of PARESTHESIAS & PETRICHOR appeared at UnionDocs (Ridgewood, NY) on August 18th, 2023, as part of SHARP EAR, SOFT THROAT alongside performances by Jazmine Green, Jemma Rose Brown, and Fil Corbitt.
Ariana—wearing a white N95 respirator, round metal eyeglasses, and a sheer button down shirt—stands in front of a projected video with their eyes closed. The video displays white text that reads, “WHAT CARRIES ON THE WIND?” with a series of three thin, white arrows beneath it. The text hovers on top of a video of tall, golden, wetland grasses swaying in the wind. Photo Credit: Roy Baizan
The version of PARESTHESIAS & PETRICHOR displayed here simulates solo, online play of the game rather than the embodied, participatory form the game took at UnionDocs. This demo depicts two of the many possible dialog paths generated by the game.
Video Description: White text displays gameplay dialogue prompts against a black background. Field recordings of a thunderstorm play beneath soft electronic music to mark the home screen and midpoint stages of gameplay. Text prompts are spoken aloud as game play continues.
Ariana stands at a tall wooden table and operates a laptop computer as a projected image illuminates the wall behind them. Ariana’s gaze lifts away from the computer and off to the side, scanning the audience. The wall behind them fills with images of various objects—kites, streamers, string—waving in strong wind against blue sky. On top of this, white text reads, “WHAT SONG IS THIS? [speak]. A length of chain link fence obscures the lower portion of the wall, casting its shadow into the projected mix. Photo credit: Jazmine Green