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

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.