The Realms Statement
My recent work is based on religious, scientific, and philosophical perceptions of nature and structures of reality. 'The Realms' are a collection of visual scenes. They are created in a digital medium as three-dimensional, independent systems. These systems contain animated or still objects, which are placed to represent and reflect specific qualities of a 'realm'.
The idea of technological singularity is implemented through these ‘realities’. It is portrayed as an intersection of technology and spirituality, as a merging of biological and artificial intelligence; where technology becomes a part of our species. This raises questions of how far we can interconnect (with technology) and what we can gain and lose.
AI and various algorithms are becoming a part of everyday human life. Their use, added to the utilization of the latest technologies in software, have had an enormous impact on the art world, where we can witness the change in definitions of artist and technology. AI is becoming a co-producer of the artwork, instead of being a simple tool.
My research investigates three main worlds from Hinduism in connection with six realms from Buddhism and touches on concepts of hell and heaven found in Judeo-Christianity and Islam. The analyses of these realms can be found in scientific theories, descriptions of multiverses, multiple dimensions, and parallel universes. Also, I lean on fascinating explanations from 'The Simulation Hypothesis', where our reality is considered as some sort of 'reproduction' of an 'original' world, or an advanced game. This theory-examination deals with the possible existence of multiple world simulations that run simultaneously.
The research goes further, to interpretations of Quantum Indeterminacy (Schrödinger's cat), which can be understood in the Simulation Hypothesis. Through the perception of a simple concept used in computer science to optimize rendering. The system only renders that part of the world that is being viewed by the player.
It is a very convoluted and multi-levelled topic, which both expands and stimulates our imagination, beliefs, and thinking by reaching its enigmatic outcomes. I intend to simplify and generalize the work through these concepts which I investigate. I am introducing the space for an understanding of the relevant aspect, that reality, whatever its true nature is, is not separate from us. We, as conscious observers, interactively participate in the qualities of reality (double-split experiment).
The Realms can be presented separately, or together as one coherent multi-levelled piece. This digital composition can be viewed/experienced from various angles and forms. The Realms can be watched as a video or as a virtual reality (VR) experience.