Imago Dei

Multimedia Immersive Installation
2018

Imago Dei, which means ‘God Image’ i.e the image of ‘god’ in physical reality, often relating to humans, as it is said, we have been made in ‘god’s’ image.

Manifested as a wall constructed out of rusty corrugated iron, symbolic of degradation, the redundant, (post) industrialization and irrelevant worldview. The use of found/real-world objects relates to ideas of the material, the known, the physical, materialism, capitalism and consumerism. In it a hole is cut out of the top section for a screen to be projected onto from the reverse, and there is a big subwoofer behind it, playing a sub-bass sound every time the warp wave comes in the projection. The projected wave pulse becomes a portal to another dimension. Sound, of course, has the ability to transcend the physical and merely visual, as the bass sound is felt vibration to permeate through the exhibition. Coupled with a soundscape of isochronic tones, which are known as brainwave entrainment. Entrainment occurs when the brainwave frequency starts to replicate that of the stimulus. Depending on the frequency, they are used for stress reduction, relaxation, deeper meditation, increased memory, better concentration and more creativity and to gain altered states of consciousness.

The iron is mounted on stage flats and held up with supports and sandbags alluding to the illusion of theatre and play between reality and fiction. The structure is surrounded by slate gravel, which is tactile underfoot, creating a crunching sound when walked on, enacts a wasteland and becomes a subtle and subconscious interaction with the audience.

All these elements create a liminal space for the viewer to walk into, get lost in and transcend. Stirring up feelings of the ominous and of awe, of the ephemeral, the metaphysical and the immaterial, the unknown and unnerving imminence, the omnipresent, the omnipotent. Suggesting the possibility of a new paradigm shift and ascension to higher consciousness. Once the audience leave, they walk away in contemplation of the world they’ve stepped back into and begin to question their own reality. Challenging the senses and perceptions, both psychologically and physically, the artist’s place is to disturb and inspire. This is exactly what Imago Dei sets out to do, while leaving space for the viewer to bring something to the work themselves.