Performer, an interactive art exhibition by Yingqi Wang, explores the psychological and sociological effects of surveillance and the gaze. Using light installations and real-time projections, the exhibition creates an environment where participants experience the sensation of being constantly monitored and observed. Drawing on theories such as the Hawthorne Effect, Foucault's panopticism and Sartre's concept of the gaze, the project encourages reflection on privacy, identity and personal freedom in a digitally monitored society. Through observation and self-reflection, it explores how being watched affects individual psychology and self-perception, transforming viewers from passive observers into active participants and co-creators, and highlighting the performative nature of the gaze.
In addition, the exhibition links real and virtual space through the construction of a virtual model on site. No matter what dimension you are in, you are being watched, whether the gaze is tangible or intangible. Their identity in reality or in the virtual world may shift, inducing a performative personality and leading to a transformation of identity once again. This multidimensional experience of being watched reveals the complexity of individual psychology and behaviour in a surveilled society.