POV Headband consists of a workshop table offering different tools and materials including sport headbands and adhesive velcro tape. Visitors are invited to make their own POV headband to attached their smart phone to their forehead.
Filming and taking pictures in public has increased exponentially in the wake of growing smart phone circulation and omnipresent social media services. More and more people document their daily life with pictures or video streaming on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat etc. Filming in the point of view perspective became a widely know practice introduced through cameras like goPro in sport activities or through the culture of first person view computer games. While the Google glass project failed a couple years ago today’s Hollywood movie industry totally adapted the point of view perspective in action movie productions.
The POV Headband turns the private screen of the phone in the hand into a public screen on the head. Unlike the privacy concerns which appeared with Google glass bystanders of POV Headbands usually don’t realize (or mind) they being filmed. It almost appears the viewer can look inside the head of the wearer. In a group situation with POV headbands generate a multi-layer mirror situation among the participants reflecting the many layers of mediated life reality today.
POV Headband workshop premiered at Point of View solo show at Babycastles NYC Feb 2015. Aram Bartholl: Point Of View at Babycastles (FB), NYC, Feb 20. – April 10, 2015. Supported by the Berlin Senate Cultural Affairs Department
POV Headband video shooting with Atlantic Center of the Arts residents: Bonnie Ebner, Sally Hill, Maja Kalogera, Katie Loughmiller, Jane Remick, Tom Smith, Chase Starr, Merav Tzur at BayBar New Smyrna Beach, Oct 2014