Helium

2017

Each edition of Helium contrasts a video, depicting a character in contemplation, who is hiding something underneath their hands, with a slowly deflating helium balloon.

Helium juxtaposes a helium balloon with a looping video displaying a man in a state of tense deliberation. The piece presents a confrontational exploration of time.

Tethered to the television, the helium balloon is a physical metaphor for the passage of time. Over the course of a week, it slowly deflates, eventually coming to rest on the floor.

The screen displays a looping sequence that captures a moment of internal conflict. The footage alternates between close-ups of a man's face, etched with indecision, and his hand pressed firmly against a tabletop—a visual representation of restraint.

Accompanying the visual elements is a loud vamping track that I mixed. Helium is a difficult piece to spend time with. Its slow evolution deliberately contrasts with typical attention spans. The piece captures a specific emotional state—a moment of decision poised between progress and relapse.

The artwork draws inspiration from a pivotal scene in the film Pusher III, where the character Boris grapples with the temptation to get high after a period of sobriety. Boris is moved to undo much of the goodwill he has engendered over a short stint of sobriety. I haven't straddled the same threshold the character did, but I still feel connected to the intensity of his conflict. I intended to distill the movie sequence and invite viewers to briefly inhabit the frenetic expression being displayed. My gratitude to the actors who contributed their time and talent to the creation of "Helium."