“NEW WINDOW is inspired by a collective loss of control and how we face the unknown,” says Cannon, who filmed individuals strapped into a fly harness as they careen through wind and rain. “Their expressions shift constantly as they spin — at times they are scared and at others they are joyous. Their animated faces and bodies are a reminder of the violent ups and downs, moments of loss and of beauty we have all experienced in the last two years. There is a loss of control, but there is also wonder in the moments of surrender.”


The latest exhibition of GIPHY’s “Be Animated” ethos, NEW WINDOW, features Sam Cannon’s exploration of human emotion, empathy, and how it feels to lose control via a new looping film and site-specific installation housed in an empty storefront in New York’s Lower East Side. Viewing takes place from the sidewalks, making it a COVID safe, outdoor experience.

The experience uses specialized screens that render video invisible to the naked eye, but when viewed through suspended “windows” the film and a “visible whirlwind of emotion” are revealed.