Note: this video contains animated nudity and depictions of sexual activity.

Overhead projectors might make you think of classes in school portables or maybe that work conference you went to last year, but in the work of multimedia artist Daniel Barrow, those same projectors become the vehicles for powerful storytelling. Barrow is best known for his performances, in which he manually projects and layers his drawings on overhead projects, manipulating the layers while he narrates a story — often a highly personal one. Storytelling is Barrow's true love, his inspiration and the reference for his art practice.

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At this year's "Power Ball XIX: Stereo Vision" (the yearly art ball held by Toronto's The Power Plant), Barrow, as VIP Artist, presented two installations: Learning to Breathe Underwater and House on Fire. And for both pieces, he did something new: "I'm lending my experience of the performer to the gallery viewer." Visitors to the installations were invited to take Barrow's customary place at the overhead projector to manipulate the images themselves.

Barrow's animations and stories are intimate and sometimes sexual, so it might take a bit of moxie for the viewer to take on the role of performer. He says, "I'm trying to create a piece that is appropriate to a party atmosphere...that is fun and accessible, but if people have a few minutes to spend with the piece, there is something a bit deeper. There is a melancholic, there is a violent, there is a scary aspect that can be accessed."

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In this video, part of our series "Artfolio" in which we get to see the development of an artist's practice, Barrow explains what storytelling and antiquated technologies mean to him and why even though he's not always comfortable with "frank expressions of sexuality," they have a place in his work.

This video includes clips provided by Video Pool and additional cinematography by Stephen McLouglin.

You can see Daniel Barrow's work at Open Studio in Toronto, September 15-October 16.

Watch Exhibitionists on Friday nights at 12:30am (1am NT) and Sundays at 3:30pm (4pm NT) on CBC Television.