A two-part installation exploring the malleability of perception in the media age, combining kinetic sculpture, live video transmission, and symbolic objects.
At its core, a mechanical system rhythmically vibrates a pencil inside a lit display case, recreating the classic “rubber pencil” illusion—a simple playground trick where motion deceives the eye, making a rigid object appear flexible. This live distortion is captured by a CCTV camera and broadcasted in real-time across multiple vintage televisions, transforming an innocent visual effect into an extended metaphor for mediated reality.
Through Be Flexible, Alex VB reflects on the fragility of perception in the face of media influence, likening a manipulated mind to a pliable pencil—easily distorted, yet fundamentally unchanged. The installation playfully critiques propaganda, misinformation, and the persistence of television as a tool of mass persuasion, despite its gradual obsolescence in the digital era.
