SILENT WHISPER
The Unseen Forces In the Harmonic Dissonance
After seeing how the wind shaped every inch of the glacier, I was deeply overwhelmed, and this experience triggered some questions in my mind.
What about the invisible forces in human societies?
Have we ever had a chance to see them?
To explore these questions, I created “Silent Whisper”, an immersive space that merges my personal experiences and some interpretations of the relationship between individuals and the unseen forces.
“The environment where a person grows up will also reflect on their personality, the way they comprehend what is happening, and how they react to their surroundings.”
What Life Could Mean To You
—— Alfred Adler
I thought about the invisible forces in my life—there were many times when I struggled with the discipline imposed by religion, schools, and hundreds of mouths. According to my research, culture, society, and family; these three factors work together to significantly impact a person’s perception, behavior, and intergenerational influence.
Thus, I create this analogy between human societies and magnetic particle systems, using iron powder referring to individuals in a society and how volcanic ash flows with the wind without choices.
To create this space, I mounted two Optoma short-throw projectors on the ceiling grids from each side and a Kinect 1414 in the center to create a large-scale interactive projection on the floor ( which is indicated by the blue square). In the back, there is an electrical fan hidden in the dark, delivering an actual wind in the space, bringing a multi-sensory experience to the visitors. I have two sets of installations.
In The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, Gustave Le Bon advocates that people lose their personal judgment and critical thinking abilities when they become part of the crowd, as they begin to act more on instinct and emotion than on reason.
Every society, community, and crowd has a specific perspective. We receive uncountable information daily from various media sources. Are they objective and real? I don’t know. They just represent a specific idea within the regional boundaries.
News and propaganda reveal only part of the truth. When individuals live within a single system, will they have the opportunity to see the bigger picture?
Thus, I leave my visitors two options.
Do you wanna be an observer or a participant?
Hidden behind the visitors' interaction with the space, there is an
orientational reverse.
Visitors assume one of two roles once they start the experience. As they walk through the space, the large-scale visual effects react to their position. But when they concentrate on what’s inside the installations, they hardly notice the visual variation. They have always been projected, but they cannot see what's happening over them. On the other hand, if they choose to stay outside and witness, they may not know what is inside the installations, but they can have a macroscopic impression.
what you see as a
participant
what you see as a
observer
From all of the above, human beings are like clear containers, growing up while carrying all their feelings, memories, and relationships. What we see in a person may just be a reflection of what they contain.
