Hello, I'm

ROB RITZENHEIN

A pink QR code sticker with a distorted eye photograph blended into its pattern, printed on black paper
Wide view of the gallery wall for Overstimulated, showing a perforated gold panel covered in scattered pink QR code stickers spilling down the white wall beside framed black-and-white and color photographs
Gallery wall showing black-and-white portrait photographs beside color photo diptychs, with the Overstimulated mixed-media piece — a perforated gold panel plastered with torn pink QR code stickers cascading down the wall and onto the floor
Close-up detail of the perforated gold panel with torn pink QR code stickers layered over the drilled holes
Macro detail of the perforated gold panel with a human eye visible through one of the holes, framed by out-of-focus torn QR code stickers
Detail of a torn pink QR code sticker peeling at the corner of the perforated gold panel, revealing a screw beneath

Overstimulated

"Overstimulated" is a project that aims to express the internal experience of sensory overstimulation through audio and video. The piece was exhibited as part of "Espejos”, a collective exhibit as part of FINEART Igualada - L'Escorxador, Igualada, Spain.

"Espejos", or "Mirrors", is an exploration of identity. I was well into adulthood before I understood that neurodivergence was part of my identity. Overstimulation was always a part of my lived experience, but it never had an explanation. The more I communicated my experience, the closer I got to understanding its source.

Explaining internal sensations is always a challenge. "Overstimulated" combines visual and audio sensations as an attempt to cause overstimulation in the neurotypical.

The piece was combined with a QR code that could be spread throughout a space. The exhibit includes a mixed media piece using photography, manufactured wood and metal as a substrate for worn stickers. Visitors could scan the sticker to view the video, allowing for the audio to build in a crowd and various people watched on their own devices.