"Presence in Absence" is an interdisciplinary multimedia project in three stages — a series of 12 encoded posters, a digital installation, and an in-person interactive piece—exploring the ambiguity and duality of Presence and Absence. Influenced by the drastic evolution of communication and human interaction in the digital age, this work will challenge and reflect the definition of true presence.
EXHIBITION
AWARD
Intertemporal Dialogue | Shanghai, China | TX Huaihai Youth Centre | 2023 | Group
Reality Unveiled: A Visual Exploration | Ann Arbor, United States | Duderstadt Gallery | 2023 | Group
Phi Kappa Phi Project Grant Award
The Undergraduate Research Award (Innovation in Research)
With the advancement of technology, the meaning of presence become diverse and ambiguous.
The birth of written language allows people to access information via unified symbols. With the invention of social media, traditional means of communication were completely subverted, allowing for real-time interaction without physical distance. It is not until the recent emergence of technologies like NFT and cryptocurrency based on blockchain that intangible content can now have ownership and transactions can be fully transparent.
"Presence in Absence" highlights the evolution of information exchange from reading to writing and to owning. The work uses negative association/unity of opposition to explain presence through its opposite state -- absence. By reflecting on the definition of presence from a temporal and spatial dimension, one can contemplate on the revolution in technological innovation and human communication, as well as the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds.
STAGE 1
The 2nd Dimension. Reading. From Real to Virtual
A set of 12 posters that reveals an encoded website URL underneath when rubbed with a pencil
If the message always exists on the posters but can only be revealed after tracing, is the message really present?
STAGE 2
The 3rd Dimension. Writing. From Virtual to Real.
Entering the second stage, visitors will interact with a website that implements a "Turing test"” Through the conversation, the user needs to determine whether they have been chatting with the artist or an AI chatbot. If they guess correctly, viewers are invited to a game where they can click on spaces the artist has selected over three attempts. Despite the potential distance, the visitor who made the right selection exists in the same parallel space on the screen with the artist. As a reward, the visitor will later receive an NFT invitation for the third stage.
STAGE 3
The 4th Dimension. Owning. From Virtual to Real.
An anonymous meeting with the winning viewer in public and sharing the sound of the artist’s heartbeat and the background surrounding noise. This is a given time and space owned by the winning viewer. The meeting is made into an NFT that allows the viewer to trade before the actual meeting.
If the identity of the artist is unknown, is the artist present to your world?