Tony Oursler

Bifurcation is the word that comes to mind when I think of my new studio space designed by Jacqueline Miro. It's simply split in two. Like our brains or perhaps the camera obscura, it has a dark and a light side. I've been here less than a year and am still experimenting with how things can work in it, but I really don't mess around too much with the interior design, because I've got work to do. Here I'm getting ready for my exhibition at Metro Pictures. When Jason came over, it was great, because we had worked together ten years before, and he knew my process. I still use a jury-rigged head brace, made from a cannibalized school desk and some plywood, for my performers. This helps keep them aligned with the camera. It's had some wonderful minds in it over the years, and I'd hate to change it, because it's become a good-luck charm. When your head goes in, it's like being born into a special space. When you reach the other side, with luck, something wonderful can happen. And the camera captures it. Of course, it hurts a little, too. In this picture you can see two of my newest works getting to know each other. They are part of a group of characters made by computer-animating the video I shoot in the rig and projecting it onto three- dimensional sculptures. As they are made, I set them up together and think about what my next step will be, how the installation will work. Unfortunately, in this photo you can't see them move or hear what they are saying. Perhaps when Jason and I work together again ten years from now, that will be possible.