Liquid Trust

Video & 8mm film, 5.54 mins (2017)

Taking queues from idea that the gaze increases oxytocin (the ‘love and bonding’ hormone) in the bloodstream, the film looks at various stimulus to the eyes and body. Using audio and motifs from ASMR YouTube videos, popularised by the online wellness and relaxation industry, Liquid Trust dives into a world of simulated care, quiet whispering, role-play, and a focus on heightened listening and looking. A majority of ‘ASMRtists’ are women, often completing mundane domestic tasks, simulated beauty treatments or medical appointments, as well as manipulating various materials for an auditory effect to invoke a sensation in the viewer.
The voice weaves a narrative of personal stories, stock footage descriptions and motivational language to create a poetic meditation on the act of looking in the digital age.

The 8mm footage was shot at London’s ‘MusEYEum’, home to a collection of artefacts and eyeware from the British Optical Association. With thanks to curator Neil Hadley.

Voice artist: Carolyn Defrin
Sound Recordist: Elliot Marshall
Hand Model: Freya Bateson
Featuring: Sinead Evans, Charlie Abbott, Ed Tucker, Becan, Elizabeth Sandford Richardson.