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A new video art installation exhibit by Naomi Jaye will immerse visitors in the private experience of a woman inside an MRI

Naomi Jaye brings raw emotion to “MRI: From Behind the Plexi” in a multi-screen video installation

“MRI: From Behind the Plexi” is a provocative, immersive video installation by Naomi Jaye where viewer becomes both witness and participant to the private experiences of a woman inside a magnetic resonance imaging machine (MRI) used to see inside the body to detect, among other things, the early stages of breast cancer. The exhibit, free and open to the public, will open on November 4th and run until November 14th at the Meridian Arts Centre.

“I see MRI as an empathy machine,” says Naomi Jaye. “Dance is a visceral art form, there is something about a body moving that touches you in a primal way. I’m hoping this installation will speak to the emotional experience of having an MRI, and will spark conversations around the intersection of the human body, the human spirit, and medical technology.”

The viewer becomes central to the installation: intimately connected to screens above them, the viewer lies flat on their back on a cot, vulnerable, exposed to the sound of the machine and the woman on the screens above them. In turn, they themselves are being considered by the other viewers seated around the edges of the gallery. The viewer is being watched.

Using video, dance and architecture to create a visceral experience, MRI examines the connection between scientific imaging and the body. Dora award winning dancer Molly Johnson, choreographer, give an electric performance and the resulting experience is fierce.

“Originally conceived of in the before-times, MRI takes on new meaning during the pandemic. A woman confined behind plexi-glass urgently tries to come to terms with her isolation and discomfort. Now more than ever this piece is relevant, exploring the complexities of the medical system as well as the tangled and sinuous effects of isolation.​” says Jaye.​

The MRI exhibit is free and open to the public. Video content contains nudity and sensitive material not suitable for children.