Impossible vistas: Exploring fantastic cityscapes and more from the artist AUJIK
by Manu SharmaMay 21, 2022
by STIRworldPublished on : May 06, 2022
Art and technology have a long and impactful past of working collaboratively and influencing one another. They have greatly evolved with one another in numerous aspects to come at their existing place in the world; a digital age in which they continuously intersect as well as depict fresh concepts. The Lost Passage is a digitally recreated setting of a swarm of artificial passenger pigeons that became extinct in the early 20th century. They occupy a never-ending, majestic, yet destitute remembrance of a vanished environment in this digital world. On closer inspection, however, they are truly restricted inside the four walls of this enclosure. Commenting on the historical event of the passenger pigeons’ holocene extinction by resurrecting a recollection of a lost passage, the Lost Passage evokes a sense of being trapped and confined through the sublime imagery.
The Lost Passage is a collaborative initiative created in 2021 as part of the BeFantastic International Fellowship programme. It was created by Amay Kataria, a Chicago-based new-media artist, in collaboration with Shaohui Kwok and Yu-Jeng Kuo, both from Singapore. There was a dismal awakening in 1914 when passenger pigeons threatened extinction — this demonstrated industrial humanity's propensity to demolish even the most abundant natural resources. The Lost Passage reflects on this historical juncture of Holocene extinction by resurrecting a recollection of a lost passage with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Thus, the exquisite imagery evokes a sensation of being trapped and constrained. The audience can dwell in a habitat with the spirit of a species they previously exterminated, which is both ironic and bizarre.
Organised by the Embassy of Switzerland and curated by BeFantastic, The Lost Passage was recently showcased at an exhibition in Singapore. Integrated with the permanent exhibition of the Sustainable Singapore Gallery at Marina Barrage, this exhibition will be enriched with a showcase of three thought-provoking and interactive art pieces that seek to challenge our relationship with our environment. Curated by the techart platform BeFantastic.in, which envisions a positive, sustainable future leveraging creative tech, the artworks are a result of the recent international fellowship program with BeFantastic Together.
This space is a reconstructed habitat for a swarm of passenger pigeons that are resurrected from the dead using digital technology, creating an interactive web experience that subtly draws the audience into a virtual world. The last known flock of these pigeons was carefully raised in captivity near Chicago. Because of their endangered status, the flock would travel from city to city via the confines of a freight train. The box environment in The Lost Passage, loosely inspired by this anecdote, highlights this contradiction in which a species that once gracefully migrated with freedom was eventually constructed within the walls of a crate to ensure safe passage.
According to Kataria, the walls of this reconstructed environment are painted with a moving image of a surreal landscape crafted with machine learning algorithms to deliberately create a perception of a fictitious movement. Finally, each of these pigeons is a ghost, an avatar, a substitute for the real pigeon, whose agency is now driven by artificial intelligence that helps them navigate this world. The audience is brought in close proximity to this flock and given the control to observe these pigeons’ new habitat. Through that, one can perceive the boundary of the walls within which these pigeons are forced to reside. The juxtaposition of this ghostly flock of pigeons within a restricted environment of a never-ending landscape references the irony of migrating passenger pigeons through a cage. Perhaps, this may evoke a feeling of sublime beauty or a sense of discomfort for the viewer, who’s experiencing this extinct species in relation to a crude, but visceral image of a moving landscape.
(Text by Vatsala Sethi, Assistant Editorial Coordinator (Arts))
by Manu Sharma Jul 03, 2022
Vladislav Iliev, the Bulgaria-based artist and co-founder of Studio Phormatik, discusses the studio’s work and ethos with STIR.
by Rahul Kumar Jul 02, 2022
Commissioned by the Contemporary Istanbul Foundation, the immersive work references ideas of life and extinction, juxtaposed with the Ottoman-era history of the location.
by Anmol Ahuja Jul 02, 2022
Designed as a physical flagship and an immersive tasting experience for the Scottish vodka, the ‘temple’ brings forth a unique brand experience along with the art of the drink.
by Zohra Khan Jul 02, 2022
Co-founder of the Isola Design District, Gabriele Cavallaro talks about his journey and the idea of doing something for small design studios in this exclusive conversation with STIR.
get regular updates SIGN UP
Don't have an account?
Sign UpOr you can join with
Already signed up?
LoginOr you can join with
Please select your profession for an enhanced experience.
Tap on things that interests you.
Select the Conversation Category you would like to watch
Please enter your details and click submit.
What do you think?