Embracing the Enigma Between Visibility and Expression.

 

This exhibition encompasses the exploration between quantum science, the realm of internet information, and human perception and behavior.

As the Internet evolves, daily reliance on computers or mobile devices for online activities has become almost a necessity. I've noticed a homogenization effect, where the information we consume on the Internet has become progressively homogenized, leading to increasingly uniform discussions. To be precise, the information we receive is curated through algorithmic processes. On the expansive digital landscape, e-commerce platforms track our browser usage and website browsing time to strategically deliver ads to capitalize on our buying intentions. Social networks are also evolving. Whether intentional or not, the online experience is gradually becoming more homogenous.

This installation begins with an automated browser that uses server-side software to anonymously crawl online forums or chat rooms, logging in to observe discussions and collect data. Then, I tried to download possible images of people who left comments. Given user anonymity, their true identities remain unknown. Recognizing the human desire to visualize their online counterparts, I leverage machine learning to generate possible images of them. Employing a technique called "synthetic data," I synthesized vast amounts of artificial information. This approach allows for the creation of not just plausible profile pictures resembling these people, but their names, phone numbers, email, and IP addresses, constructing a digital approximation of a "possible you".

Using the internet communication technology, a phone call to a randomly chosen number in the data will be made. After the call is answered, it will be routed to the same line through this work, creating an anonymous call group. The interlocutors of the call then unknowingly engage in a phone call with each other, both strangers to one another. If the interlocutors are quiet, the work will give audio cues to guide them to talk, and consequently produce a series of conversations, of which the content cannot be predicted. The audience in the exhibition, on the other hand, becomes a third party to observe the conversations through the audio equipment and visualization of the work. Through Annoyanony, the artist unveils deep anxieties over and dialectic about privacy, ethics, and even human subjectivity, when the machine starts performing and mastering everyday human behaviors, such as making a phone call.

Our lives are profoundly entwined with digital information. Human behavior is shaped in response to the constant flow of information updates. People tend to not remember things in their entirety, but remember keywords and use those fragments to piece together their understanding. This concept resonates with the essence of two new works. They allude to how scientists or physicists researching quantum mechanics or quantum network communication theories seek answers by probing the special nature of quantum physics, striving to develop more advanced and holistic approaches for advancing human technological progress. The implications might extend beyond technology to encompass the relations between quantum biology and behavior, or the interactions with the ecosystem.

In A Slightly Different Browser, he uses QuNetSim to develop a web browser akin to a regular browser. The difference is that it transmits the user’s actions, such as mouse movements, scrolls, or clicks, onto the screen at the exhibition venue through simulated quantum cryptography. These actions are converted to visible physical lights, offering viewers the most direct and intuitive visual experience. This artwork establishes a dynamic relationship between real-time information of browser use and the visual perception of another space, thereby forging another mode of communication. 

Around 7 Meters is More Fun displays the image trajectory generated by participants manipulating a joystick onto a remote screen. Only observers can see the images that appear on the screen; neither the participants themselves can see them nor can the images be captured or recorded. Consequently, participants must rely on the descriptions or expressions of the observers to conjure an unseen scene. Here, I create a unique interactive situation that compels people to reconsider the distinctions and connections between the seen and the unseen. 

In an environment saturated with internet information, continuing from traditional mass media to today's short visual and audio experiences, the way humans receive sensory stimuli has changed significantly on the informational level. Communication and understanding messages are markedly different from the past. In the exhibition, observers or audiences become witnesses, translating visual experiences into language and other non-visual forms of communication. This process activates a special relationship between participants and observers, bridging the gap between the seen and the unseen. Looking through these works that amalgamate technology, context, and interaction, enabling audiences to reconsider the ways of perception, interaction, and communication through hands-on experiences and participation.

HsienYu CHENG Solo Exhibition  [.user               ]

• Date: September 16 to October 14, 2023
• Address: ESLITE GALLERY∣B1, No. 88, Yanchang Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110055, Taiwan (eslite spectrum Songyan Store)
• Opening Hours: 11am-7pm, Tuesday – Saturday (closed on Sunday and Monday)
• Supporting Partner: Hong Foundation, Panasonic Taiwan