The video installation is composed of 5 portraits of as many subjects as they apathetically chew and blow chewing gums in the colours commonly associated with primary emotions. The sound of chewing is replaced by the sound of the smartphone keyboard while the bursting of the balloons by the sound of posting a status on Facebook. The traces produced by the explosions are layered on their faces, creating an ever evolving slimy composition. With a clear reference to the world of social media, this work highlights how the emotional response has shaped online communication to the point of becoming its main driver, thus putting us at risk of an emotional overdose.
In the performance version, five performers apathetically hold a smartphone in their hands while chewing a bubble gum. After blowing them in a predetermined order, the performers leave the space to reach a changing room where they receive a new bubble gum in a different colour and come back to the room where they start chewing again bursting the new bubble on the remnants of the previous burst.
