Interwoven Existence by the Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University faculty immerses you in the interplay of cultures and nature through an innovative installation. Experience a sensory reed space sourced directly from the Tai Lake in Suzhou, China. Explore VR narratives on the coexistence of multispecies. Challenging perceptions, Interwoven Existence promotes the recognition of humanity’s intricate connection with the natural world.
Interwoven Existence invites visitors to immerse themselves in the interconnectedness of human cultures and nonhuman entities. Challenging former perceptions of nature as a passive resource, this exhibition brings to life nature’s dynamic, self-generative and self-willing spirit. It showcases pieces from faculty and students at the School of Cultural Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University.
Upon entry, visitors drift into a sensory space covered with modular reed designs directly sourced from the Tai Lake in Suzhou, China. Enhanced by lighting, the reeds cast captivating shadows, creating an ethereal dance across the walls. Some of these reeds, equipped with sensors and motors, interact and respond to the audience’s presence, enhancing the immersive experience. This is further underscored by a four-channel soundscape with performative field recordings at the lake, echoing the resilient pulse of nature.
Distributed in the space are four VR headsets, each showcasing a unique digital artwork. While diverse in content, these VR pieces harmoniously resonate with the exhibition’s theme — the expressive exploration of multispecies narratives and the interplay between humanity and non-human entities. This exhibition draws inspiration from the aesthetic theories of Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin and the Shanshui painting tradition. By employing aesthetic theory and technology, it celebrates intertwined existence and promotes recognition of the voices of multispecies.
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Interwoven Existence
Zhonghao Chen (CN), Andrew O’Dowd (IE), Juan Carlos Vasquez (CO), Isadora Petrauskas (BR)
Interwoven Existence is the piece that names the exhibition and frames the space for the display of four other pieces. It features a transformative sensory space covered entirely with reeds directly sourced from the Tai Lake in Suzhou, China. Some of these reeds, equipped with sensors and motors, interact, and respond to the audience’s presence.
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Lago
Giovanni Santini (IT)
Lago (lake in Italian) is a VR experience situated on a lake. The water surface can be a mirror, but also a window (or a portal) into another dimension. The user travels through space and across spaces. A forest can transform into a particle cloud, while the lake reflects the original image.
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Reunión Familiar 2
Luciano Zubillaga (AR/GB)
Reunion Familiar 2 (Family Reunion) is a new VR experimental project developing visual and sonic impressions about the production of energy on Earth.
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Tongue-Tied
Isadora Petrauskas (BR), Zhonghao Chen (CN)
By exploring how technology plays a crucial role in promoting contemporary imperialist languages, this video installation echoes the inquiries about modernization and objectification of nature proposed by “Interwoven Existence”.
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漂流 (Drift)
Álvaro Collar (ES)
Inspired by Debord’s concept of dérive, the project proposes an abstract VR drift through a symbolic cityscape and its liminal spaces. Configured as a digital palimpsest, the piece deconstructs traditional film language, exploring abstraction, narrative recursiveness, low-resolution imagery and flux as alternative post-hyperrealistic modes of representation.
School of Cultural Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University (CN)
The School of Cultural Technology, part of Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University’s XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), focuses on cultural technologies, immersive media, computational media, and entrepreneurship. It combines various media and technologies to create cultural events, productions, and exhibitions. Working closely with industry, students develop entrepreneurial and professional skills through practical projects, preparing them to become independent practitioners.
Credits
Exhibition by the School of Cultural Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University.
Curators: Juan Carlos Vasquez and Zhonghao Chen
Pieces and participating artists:
Interwoven Existence: Zhonghao Chen, Andrew O’Dowd, Juan Carlos Vasquez, Isadora Petrauskas
Lago: Giovanni Santini
Tongue-Tied: Isadora Petrauskas, Zhonghao Chen
Reunión Familiar 2: Luciano Zubillaga
漂流 (Drift): Álvaro Collar
VR development for Reunión Familiar 2: Feifei Cai, Xingyue Jin, Zhe Wang, Yuting Wu — under the direction of Giovanni Santini.
Student collaborators for Tongue-Tied: Xiao Yun, Yinying Zhu, Jingyang Chen, Yuchen Zhang, Shuang Liang, Zeling Long, Zijian Song, Qianli Yang, Yiyang Guo, Shuyu Zhang
芦苇道 Lu Wei Dao (reed-cutting ceremony): Stella Mihova, Yuchen Zhang — under the direction of Zhonghao Chen.
This project is supported by the School of Cultural Technology of Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University