In My Mind’s Eye is a machine that allows the user to make associations that lie deep within them; these are personal for each user. The machine takes its mechanism from that of a slot machine, where the usual fruit illustrations are replaced with a broad selection of scraped images. The user changes the images in a set by spinning the wheels (it is possible to hold and unhold one or more wheels), until he is satisfied and a final set is created. Then he names the set and prints out the cards; they now become part of a personalized game of quartet.
Both the mechanism of the slot machine and the quartet have exactly what is needed to force association: they have a strict taxonomy and allow people to create a narrative with images. By putting new images into this format, the game structure allows you to automatically see links between seemingly unrelated images. Similar to Freud’s theory of free association, when the wheels are spinning, images pass and accumulate in the user’s mind and get assessed in a second moment. This allows for a more free and personal association. The result gives us a peek into their inner self, into their mind and brain.
The project aims to collect different types of results, based on personal experience, or the subjective interpretations of public events. The project also allows the users to compare and exchange their decks of cards and the meanings associated with them.
As exhibited in V2_ Rotterdam (2012), curated by Willie Stehouwer