Placebo: A Complicated Pleasure

What if you love something that you have a phobia about? How do you deal with this love/hate relationship. Through the use of props and film I explore how electronic products might mediate this complex issue.

Mice use ultrasonic sounds to attract mates, ultrasonic love songs if you will. These sounds can be recorded and brought down a few octave to just below 20khz which is within range of the human ear. Equally audible sounds can be converted into the ultrasonic range. In this way a person could interact with a mouse on an ultrasonic level.

Taking the fear of mice (musophobia) I have created a mouse trap that also displays the captive as some form of a pet in same way as fish bowl. When the glass tank is empty it embodies the phobia giving reassurance that there are no mice around. However, when it is full it takes on different persona as it becomes a display case and enables the musopobic person to prepare for their encounter.