Not Here, Not There

 

 

Collaborate with Bryan Yueshen Wu. 2023. Installation. Film. Book.

Not Here, Not There is a contemplative sound installation accompanied by a short film and a book that explores the ontological dimension of immersion, drawing inspiration from Roland Barthes’s notion of “two bodies” of self as explored in his essay Leaving the Movie Theatre. Roland defines the first body as a narcissistic entity that becomes absorbed in the immersive medium, while the second one fetishizes its surroundings. Etymologically, immersion describes a deep mental involvement. However, in the era of digital technological advancement and its corresponding jargon, people’s perception of immersion has fixated on how digitality, particularly on a grander scale, moulds immersion, rather than one’s actual emotional experience within a given environment. Building upon Roland’s deconstruction of the immersive experience in cinema, this project seeks to dismantle this newly formed associations of digitalisation and immersiveness, and engage the audience in a discussion about the essential constituents of immersion. The installation comprises a spatial composition that emerges from an interplay of the audience, light, shadow and a mono sound system. The generative soundscape and light are intricately intertwined with the intuitive movements of each individual in the space, creating a sonification of their presence. The constant visual feedback of the shadow stimulates a dialogic engagement with the “sonic self”, empowering the audience to actively shape their experience of exploring the boundary between the two bodies and all the sonic affordances it offers. Complementing the installation, the experimental moving image work serves as a poetic response, further exploring the nature of selfness in immersion. The protagonist endeavours to unravel the essence of immersion and its interconnectedness with the self. We hear the sound of the wind as the rustling leaves sway on the branches, and we see the shape of the wind as the trees dance. How do we perceive immersion through the vessel of self? Finally, as the project’s theoretical foundation, the book is divided into two parts. Influenced by Roland Barthes’s introspective exploration on photographs in his book Camera Lucida, the first half is a collection of the artist’s reflective writings on daily moments that he considers immersive. These include poems, diaries and essays. The second part features the artist’s MA dissertation, which offers a broader discussion on immersion in an academic yet accessible writing style.