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The Twinkling of An Eye: transdisciplinary artistic research exploring the impact of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and its entanglement with our reality

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The Twinkling of An Eye is an artistic research that culminates into two new artworks for two exhibitions and a research publication in 2020. Computer vision and simulations are undeniably changing the world. The project employs a critical perspective to investigate the technologies and cultural ideas surrounding CGI through theoretical research and artistic work, advocating for awareness of their power on our society. The theoretical research elaborates on philosopher Vilém Flusser's notion of 'technical images' to discuss the social significance of CGI. Collaborating with doctoral researcher Daniel Schraik, the research studies the different ways geoinformatics produce and analyse images of forests using computer algorithms. The research investigates the impact of CGI on our perception of self, of reality and of the physical world. The artistic work centres around the research of water splashes by British physicist Arthur Worthington. The project simulates Worthington well-documented experiment from his book ’Study of A Splash’ using 3D modelling software. The experimental installation, photo-objects and videos produced using a combination of photographs, CGIs and 3D-printed objects explore how the way CGI fundamentally changes the very notion of reality and knowledge. Each work poses as a critical enquiry to disrupt the representational view of images. The project explores a progressive approach to understand the complexity of contemporary images.

During the working period, I explore the implication of computer-generated imagery in the understanding of reality and knowledge production. In January, I exhibited the project at Hippolyte Gallery. The exhibition at Hippolyte Gallery was well-attended with around 100 people visiting at the opening. In the exhibition, I presented my master thesis that offers an anthropological review of image-capturing technology in the observation of water splash.

In June, I participated in Shelter Festival, where I presented a project titled “White Paper Manifesto” which encoded an image with my manifesto on art production in post-capitalistic society using a technique called steganography. The Shelter festival is organized online and reached a diverse audience. At the same time, the work is chosen for Pori Biennale, which created an online exhibition due to the pandemic. The Biennale also produced a catalogue for exhibiting artists.

I was also selected as an exhibiting artist at the Backlight Festival, a tri-annual photo festival in Tampere. According to curator Hannu Vanhanen, the festival recorded around 5,000 visitors to the festival despite the pandemic.

I started my doctoral program at Aalto University’s Department of Media in August 2020. Throughout the year, I worked towards my art publication Ground Truth, which explores the discipline of remote sensing. Following the quest of remote sensing to improve the interpretation of satellite images in the research project From needles to landscapes: a novel approach to scaling forest spectra, this project presents an in-depth understanding of how trees interact with electromagnetic waves of both visible and invisible spectrums. The book investigates how observation in science, powered by advanced imaging technologies and algorithms, is more abstract than ever. The book is designed by Emery Norton. The book is scheduled to be published by Dutch publisher Eriskay Connection in Autumn 2021 and will be distributed internationally.

In September, the publication of my artistic research ‘Para-images: Cultural Ideas and Technical Apparatuses Beyond the Pictorial Surface’ was shortlisted in the prestigious photo book competition KASSEL DUMMY AWARD 2020.

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