Samsāra  IV

MEDIUM: Mixed Media
DATE: Nov. 2016

Material: Epson Projector, Canon GH10, strings, letters

 

Samsara IV is a mixed-media installation that combines of electronic media and string art. 

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The white letter-ring in the middle consists of the words Samsara and Karma. Four color strings on the back wall become a spatial 3-D frame that embraces the ring in the middle. Meanwhile, the projection on the wall is a video feedback loop that causes an effect in the layers and also functions as a live camera. When audiences walk into the room, the camera will capture their movements so that their motion will be projected onto back wall and become a part of the work. 

 

Samsara means reincarnation, and Karma decides which our realm of rebirth. This is a Buddhist philosophy so the color I used in this installation is borrowed from prayer flags which represent the religion. The circle symbolizes the progress of Samsara in terms of birth-death-rebirth. I use the layers on the back wall to mimic the previous life, present life and afterlife. It looks like a parallel universe; the layers are unreal, however, the movement happens in the real space and real time.

 

Additionally, the installation as a whole is similar to an eye. My intention is to raise

doubts on the visual and on reality. What is visible can be whether existent or non-existent. 

I hope the viewer who encounters my work can enjoy the interaction and also be reminded of the concept of Samsara.