Identities versus Globalisation Catalogue

On: 1hrs 2be Oth3rs

2003, Installation

Artist's biography

full picture

Individuals are facing the epistemic character of the modern world - continual changes occur with a speed that forces them to reach out to the ultimate borders, that are increasingly distant.

Prologue: the wide world, identity and a series of questions
In the midst of producing capital which constantly cleaves one into two halves, the individual is the target of an operation, the source of an energy of desire, the heartbeat of the market. This is why we believe in Levis, McDonalds, the universe of the Matrix, strolling to the mall, www.mirc.dal.net, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, etc.
The passage of time with its impacts, whether it is through globalisation, modernisation or even any of its nemeses, is also what pushes the individual to endure living with all of his/her needs. Every individual designs his/her own practical theory, strategies and tactics, in whatever form they may take. A theory becomes a fortress of defence against the world of my thoughts, with derivations of taste, preference, and hobbies, which when taken all together reflect something which can be interpreted as identity.
These individual beliefs have become the modus operandi for other market movements — products which are unique, which are characteristic, which suggest an identity that the user imagines. Then the cycle revolves. Rapidly.
Then, something is said when an individual face is gloomy, do faces which appear happy not elicit questions? Isn’t it a bit worrisome that we do not know much about what is happening in the thoughts and desires of someone who we just pass by? How does my face look when these questions are asked? How can other people suspect what is happening in my thoughts and desires? Does my face elicit questions?

Concept: other people as mirrors and their reflections in the mirror as other people.
The series of questions posed above have inspired us to create a simulation where an exchange of individuals occurs. Basically, this simulation invites several
individuals to become involved in an interaction. We begin with two people interacting. Just call them A and B. They can be separated by different social and cultural backgrounds. At the beginning, A will be asked to initiate a relationship directly with B. The term “direct relationship” in the modern world does not necessarily mean physical communication at the same time and place, because A and B will later be separated and then reconnected by an interactive medium.
Five months ago, we attempted an experiment. We searched for a way so that A could look at himself and his friend while they were interacting. At the same time, A or B could seek confirmation of the process of the inter-action themselves. This process of confirmation could also occur as an agreement between A and B to simultaneously witness the direct experiences they (A and B) are going through.
We placed machines on their bodies that were strapped to their heads so that they could experience each other’s visual and auditory senses. Our characters became dependent on each other: Each individual de-pendent on the other, one with the other’s machine. The machines then projected themselves with all their distortions on our characters’ lives: members of a solitary class, working in front of a computer, they longed for interaction.
In the beginning, we created a game for our characters, for our machines. In the growth process, these machines inspired us to continue our experiment. In the second phase, it was our characters and the machines that provided the narration. It was no longer a game; that was how it really was.

©2004 HBF Thailand