Mirroring

MIRRORING is a visual intervention that explores emotional mirroring and the human capacity for empathy. Created for the Fasáda Gallery, the project consists of a series of large-format photographs capturing the authentic facial expressions of fourteen individuals as they watched a curated sequence of videos focused on care, kindness, and human connection.

A hidden camera placed behind a two-way mirror recorded subtle moments of emotional resonance — joy, compassion, and shared attention — as participants responded to what they were seeing. The installation brings these intimate reactions into public space, making visible a fleeting yet universal human experience.

The project draws on the concept of mirror neurons, which enable us to feel the emotions of others as if they were our own. MIRRORING translates this phenomenon into a visual form, inviting viewers to experience emotion through the face of another. In the context of urban space, often saturated with anonymity and sensory overload, the work acts as a quiet counterpoint: an image of human presence that communicates without words.

The installation builds on Jahn’s earlier work with emotional projection, particularly the widely recognized project Stop Animal Testing, created for the NGO Svoboda zvířat, which used a similar format to reflect the suffering of animals through human responses. In MIRRORING, however, the focus shifts toward positive emotion — the ability to feel joy in the good, even as an observer. The work raises a simple question: can a positive emotion become a catalyst for change?