Air on the Go is a multichannel video that investigates constant self-surveillance and the evolving technology for capturing, saving, and disseminating digital content.

Lucas becomes the subject and the author of that content through the use of small HD digital video cameras that document her leisurely walk through a nondescript suburban neighborhood. Lucas stitches the captured footage together into a panoptic 360-degree view of her journey and displays the videos on a grouping of overlapping monitors that hover off the wall. This presentation creates a nauseating and disorienting overload of information to consume, making it difficult to focus on any single video as your eye jumps from one monitor to another. The soundtrack includes a monolog written from phrases collected from online product reviews and technical forums discussing everything from system upgrades to biometric feedback. Initially, the narrator sounds invigorated by the prospect of new technologies, but a feeling of uneasiness slowly becomes apparent as the video progresses.

Air on the Go demonstrates our desire to remain current and connected through the use of almost instantly outdated technologies leading to our endless demand for upgrades and feelings of longing as our excitement for the old fades with the introduction of the new.

Statement written by curator Jared Steffensen.

Photo credit: Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA), Salt Lake City.