Eustress
by Sean Mulcahy and Fat Stephen
January 15th - 26th
Opening: January 25th, 6pm - 8pm

This installation was built from sounds, images, and videos collected on frequent, drives to and from Charlotte. It explores the idea of Eustress, that some stressful experiences are potentially beneficial and encourage growth. The distinction between eustress and distress is not the stressor but the perspective and response of the mind experiencing it. Similarly, noise is only distinct from other sounds once it is perceived by a listener and judged to be unwanted.

The sound sources are all varieties of noise. All sounds were generated through manipulations of recorded audio (radio static, wind, etc.) and raw data (from the photos being displayed) being read and edited as sound. The still images were manipulated through multiple methods of data-bending by visual artist, Fat Stephen. This included the image files being read as audio by an audio-editing program. The video clips were also processed in similar ways.