The sphere of the Asemic Avatars was created upon the invitation of Bryn Oh, who asked me to participate in a collaborative building project called "Further Along the Path" which took place in Second Life in the Spring of 2012.
Although the Asemic Avatar is quite different from its precursor Uranometria, both visually as well as through the presence of this soundscape; nevertheless I think that there are conceptual overlaps; to the point where it could be said that they are sister projects: In both locations what I aimed at was to bring about a sense of immutable fate and claustrophobia. In the case of Uranometria this was represented through the petrified avatar sculptures that could not join the free floating words around them but were confined to living inside the cage, in fixed positions and poses. These petrified sculptures made a re-appearance inside the Asemic sphere, however this time as the main protagonists of the piece, heaped in masses all over the floor. In both installations visitors could join the fate of these solidified avatar sculptures by donning the attire that was provided at both locations, thus increasing the sense of presence, immersion, identification and empathy that both domains called for.
Although the Asemic Avatar is quite different from its precursor Uranometria, both visually as well as through the presence of this soundscape; nevertheless I think that there are conceptual overlaps; to the point where it could be said that they are sister projects: In both locations what I aimed at was to bring about a sense of immutable fate and claustrophobia. In the case of Uranometria this was represented through the petrified avatar sculptures that could not join the free floating words around them but were confined to living inside the cage, in fixed positions and poses. These petrified sculptures made a re-appearance inside the Asemic sphere, however this time as the main protagonists of the piece, heaped in masses all over the floor. In both installations visitors could join the fate of these solidified avatar sculptures by donning the attire that was provided at both locations, thus increasing the sense of presence, immersion, identification and empathy that both domains called for.
