Man In The Mirror

Man In The Mirror is an animation that’s part of an interactive installation based on a poem entitled “If the Man in The Mirror”. This poem was found written on the wall of a cell in death row. It was composed by an anonymous prisoner who was later executed. The Installation consists of a rear projection of this animation (set on a constant loop) on a mirrored glass, hanging from the ceiling. The user sees a man in distress morphing and transforming, but as she gets closer to really grasp what’s happening to him, the animation starts fading away. By the time the user is at short proximity to the piece, the animation has completely faded, and she can only see her own reflection in the glass.

If the Man in the Mirror

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t a man’s father, mother or wife,
Whose judgement upon him must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in life,
Is the man staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test,
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But the final reward will be heartache and tears,
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.