About The Truth Booth
In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth) is an installation comprised of a touring, portable, inflatable ‘Truth Booth’ that was launched in 2011 at the Galway Arts Festival. The exterior is iconically shaped like a giant cartoon speech bubble with the word ‘TRUTH’ boldly printed on the side. The interior acts much like a photo booth, but serves to compile 2 minute long video responses from the public. Once seated inside they will then be invited to record the opinions and thoughts as the finish the statement: The truth is…”. Throughout this long-term project the video footage will be complied and edited into a video artwork. To expand and engage with audiences, the movements of The Truth Booth and sample responses will be tracked, edited, discussed, and categorized on its website.
The booth will continue to travel to well-known arts festivals, city locations, rural fairs, and the odd stop in between, as it did throughout Ireland from July-September 2011. It was able to capture the diversity of viewpoints and of people in Ireland at a time of change and uncertainty. Now that the tour is completed in Ireland, The Truth Booth will travel internationally.
Commissioned by the Arts Council of Ireland and the SF Foundation, the Cause Collective artists Ryan Alexiev, Jim Ricks, and Hank Willis Thomas have created the project collaboratively. The artists are based in San Francisco, Dublin, and Paris respectively. Much of their pervious work has dealt with ways in which media images inform the way people perceive themselves and others globally. They have become increasingly interested in finding ways to use installation, video, and public art as a medium for innovative cross-cultural communication. This project initiates that conversation as the artists use their collective skills and knowledge to develop this new and experimental public engagement piece.