CREATING AN ANALOGUE SANCTUARY FOR THE DIGITAL SELF
Extract from Sophie Haslinger in conversation with Christiane Peschek
Christiane Peschek: I think our existence is not solely rooted in the physical, but we are gradually expanding into the virtual. The way the physical body moves in space is completely different than the digital body, especially because of the absence of gravity. In preceding projects, I already focused on the idea of developing a consciousness for our virtual extension. For this project, I imagined that self-care for our virtual bodies would obviously be different from how we treat our physical bodies. Watching “Shower Routine Tutorials” on YouTube was very inspiring for me. In these videos, mainly women film themselves while taking a shower and they explain to the viewer which products they use –it’s still about caring for your physical body, but these videos are produced for the virtual space only. I took this idea one step further. If you leave the physical body aside, how can instructions on caring and treating your virtual extension look like? Taking a selfie and using a filter to remove my wrinkles is similar to putting an anti-wrinkle cream on my face. It is a treatment only for my digital extension, not my physical body. Still, I’ve decided to place OASIS in a material space though, because I imagined it as a space that functions as a trigger for entering into the virtual world. You are still moving your body in a physical space, but the elements you find there bring you closer to this virtuality.
[CP] I was searching for a title for a long time until I realized that it’s impossible to find a title, because it’s actually a space, and a space needs a name, not a title. I like the concept of an oasis, which is a self-sustaining system in a very unfriendly environment. It’s my vision that you enter this place and forget about the outside. I imagine OASIS as a non-binary, inclusive safe space that invites you to be just your pure self and treats you not with physical treatments like massages but goes way deeper without being educational, a space where you can just be.
[CP] For OASIS I wanted to bring some of the digital elements into the space without using screens. Currently, there is this trend of high-glossy, super-sleek, wet muscular bodies that you can never physically achieve. This fetish was created in the digital space, and I wanted to translate it into physical objects. The “glass human being” was a very inspiring image I had in mind. I came up with these organically shaped glass objects, which, for me, function as post-bodies, but at the same time they are still bodies in the process of becoming. The glass objects symbolize this constant moment of transition. I printed the same objects in 3D, again taking something from the virtual into the material space. It’s so easy to create things on the screen, but the sensations are missing, you can’t touch it, it has no weight or volume. Standing in front of the printer has always evoked magical feelings in me: giving birth to these objects that are just loosely floating in the virtual space.
The UV prints on marble plates are images of these sleek and wet digital body elements that I retouch on the phone –a process that I always use for creating my images. I play with the desire for touching these bodies and experiencing them sensually, but it’s not possible as they are completely stuck on the surface of the screen. The bodies look wet, but they don’t contain any water as human bodies do. On one hand, we desire these hyper-perfect bodies, on the other, they are missing a necessary element. The element of water is bound in the material world. At the same time, the glass objects in the show are filled with water that is circulating. I play with the presence and absence of water, as well as its transformation. Water plays an essential role in the exhibition, without naming it too much.
[SH] Another natural substance you incorporate in your show is salt in form of piles on the floor. What does the salt reference?
[CP] Humans are made up mostly of water, but also salt. Water and salt are the basis of all life. If you take the ocean as a big body of water, when it dries, what is left behind is salt, which is important for our nutrition. If you go one step further, to the end of human existence, the only thing that remains is salt. It is the only human reference in the exhibition space. At the same time, salt is used in spas for peelings or floating experiences.
[SH] A spa is a place where physical touch plays an important role, it is a place for sensuality. The only thing most people touch on a daily basis is the screen of their mobile phones. I believe the idea of touch becomes very relevant in the space you create.
Yes. That was also the reason why I decided to include a little shop in the entrance part of the gallery space. Inside the exhibition, in the treatment area, there is not much you can touch, whereas the products in the store evoke touching. You can buy a scrub or massage oil –all things you apply to your physical surface. So, it’s a warm invitation to touch something else than your screen.
[SH] One component in the exhibition is a grid composed of light-reflecting material. The work completes itself only on-screen when the grid is photographed with flash. Thus, the work requires the participation of the audience and the action of taking a photo, and maybe even sharing it on social media. Is “OASIS” a space for digital natives or can it be experienced without the digital realm?
This is an effect that I have already used many times and it always works. It works because it is a very simple miracle. I like to think of the camera of a smartphone as one’s third eye. Especially in the context of augmented reality, the camera makes you see and explore things that you might not see with your eyes. That’s why I like to work with light-reflective elements. When you enter the exhibition space, you don’t see this other dimension and there is no sign. There is this trend to go and see exhibitions to just post about it on social media. If visitors of my show take a photo with flash, the image suddenly looks completely different than the space that they are in. This is the moment when visitors become little kids who want to explore the space. For me, it’s proof that people want to believe in miracles. It’s what makes our everyday lives a little less boring, right? And finally, they have a reason to use their phones! I would not say this playful effect is a layer that is necessary for understanding the space, but it’s a nice add-on. Unlike art fairs or big group shows, where you only have a brief moment to look at an artwork, my exhibition requires taking time to immerse yourself in the space.
