jāpeɡ is an interactive installation that explores concepts of self-reflection, visual identity, big data, and the intangibility of the virtual. Our love affair with our image starts early in our development, intimately linked to the development of self-awareness and consciousness. This fondness for our image not only affects our relationship with ourselves but also with our family and peers. With the advent of technology, we now immortalize this self-love with selfies and pictures of our lives in bits of data. The tangible way of collecting our relationship with ourselves through our image has been elevated to a different plane, a virtual one.
However, what would happen if all the systems of recollection were to fail, if the fragility of binary code was subverted to a different reading, and if processes in which the information has adhered to other bits of data containing other images that are not alone? The various reflections have become one single refraction.
jāpeɡ challenges the conventional way of representing oneself in the digital world. It creates a space where participants can reflect on the impact of technology on our identities and our relationship with our image. Using a mix of digital and analog techniques, we disrupt the virtual world and force participants to confront the fragility of the digital realm.
Through jāpeɡ, we invite participants to reimagine their digital identity and consider the consequences of their data being collected, processed and shared. By exploring the intangibility of the virtual and the impact of big data on our lives, we hope to inspire a deeper understanding of technology's role in shaping our sense of self.
This project raises important questions about how we are represented in the digital world. If our civilization were destroyed today, what would remain to tell our independent stories? Would the future telling of the past include our racial differences as if we all belonged to different subcultures?
By bringing these issues to light through our art, we hope to inspire a deeper understanding of the impact of big data on our identities and the importance of preserving our unique stories in a world that increasingly values conformity.
Jpeg documentation picture
Jpeg documentation picture
Jpeg documentation picture
Pictures credits: courtesy of Xpace
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express our deep appreciation to curators Mary Chen and Theresa Wang, as well as the gallery team at Xpace, for their invaluable support in the installation of our exhibition. Their expertise, guidance, and tireless efforts ensured that our vision for the exhibition was realized to the highest standards. We are grateful for their dedication and commitment to promoting emerging artists in our community and for creating a welcoming and inclusive space for our work.