is a set of looping online videos that corresponds to the eight
phases of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
treatment. EMDR focuses on reprogramming the brain's response to a
traumatic event, changing how the event is stored, and reducing and
eliminating problematic symptoms. By repetitively crossing the
brain's hemisphere with sound and images, EMDR attempts to heal and
reform neural pathways formed by the event. The eight videos in
IRISIRIS use sound and imagery that are symmetrical and hypnotic:
the sound pans from ear to ear, and the mirrored imagery moves from
eye to eye, crossing and recrossing the brain's center. Although
the videos follow the eight phases of EMDR, they can be viewed in
or out of order, with or without sound. This project began in
quarantine. In isolation, I started processing my father's sudden
death anew, cut off from the coping strategies and routines that
have allowed me to avoid processing the event. I sought to make
space for myself, to invite healing by developing more positive
self associations with the event. I hope that isolated viewers can
use the videos to make space to examine their own traumatic events
and the language and tools they use to process them. *Created with
support from the Jack Straw New Media Gallery residency.