UI Catharsis is an exhibition which explored a number of processes involving technology and human emotions. Karolina Kozikova’s works examined the embodiment of human characteristics in nature and non-living things in both static digital drawing and interactive software. I on the other hand attempted to simulate the experience of depression through immersive audio and VR works using narratives gathered from others in the hope of opening a wider discussion about mental health. UI Catharsis unravels the repressed emotions through interactive multi-sensorial art with monochromatic visuals.
Inside My Head, (2019), Tan Sher Lynn, VR Installation at Polska
VR is still considered a relatively new medium, therefore most visitors were quite intrigued with the idea of a virtual realm. Inside My Head was created based on narratives about depression and it was designed to have players wander around through the scenes to create a sense of helplessness and despair. Considering the number of people present and that most of them were unfamiliar with VR, it was necessary to personally guide them through the experience, telling them how the controllers work and giving them hints on how to navigate through the virtual space. Most of the people were fascinated with the virtual environment which made me reconsider if VR was able to convey the intention of the project. However, after talking to some of the audience, I noticed that interest in the medium eventually leads to interest in the topic.
There were also some people who are or had been working in the field of VR. I was told that the VR experience while short, was interesting and can be improved with further development. I appreciate hearing the opinions of the audience on how the VR experience was and how it could be improved, I will continue to take this comments to heart and use them to improve future works.
The Silent Voices (2019), Tan Sher Lynn, Audio Installation at Polska
Situated at the same hallway where the projection installation was at, the audience had different experience depending on when they tried it. For those who listened to the audio during the five minute intervals when the heartbeat sound from the other installation may have felt slightly overwhelmed as they thought the heartbeat sound was part of the audio installation. However, I think that the sound from the other installation was not necessarily disruptive and might add on to the low bass of the audio clip, creating a different experience.
Inside My Head
Photographs by Tan Sher Lynn
Tamagochi Effect (2019), Karolina Kozikova, Interactive Projection and Digital Prints
Karolina Kozikova’s work Tamagotchi Effect takes the form of an interactive installation. The viewer will see a projection of a canine creature with a human face strolling in its natural environment. The viewer can interact with it via a mouse a standard medium of interaction with computers and no matter how many commands they give it the creature shall obey. Deriving from the concept of personification of animals, the artist states that software should not be treated as either an animal nor a human, for it is only a calculating tool, incapable of abstract emotions.
Alongside the interactive work, a series of digital paintings explore the ephemerality of virtual life. The paintings compare humans living “onlife” to birds flying through the air in a metaphor of instability, speed and volatility. These works also take the subject of personification and depict it in a form of a digital painting, a work created partially by a very human activity—painting—and partially by a software—calculating pixels, copying and pasting.
Photographs by Tan Sher Lynn
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