THE OTHER REAL
The Other Real
A series of digital images and audio-visual artworks, 2024.
The Other Real 1, audio-visual artwork, 44:32 min., 2024.
The Other Real 2, audio-visual artwork, 12:59 min., 2024.
The Other Real 3, audio-visual artwork, 39:52 min., 2024.
3D computer graphics, digital sculpting, generative AI, sound: Tanja Vujinovic
Production: Tanja Vujinovic/Ultramono, 2024.
Consulting
iotrip, Software Engineer
Mika Pi, Software Engineer
RonBreIan, Software and Audio Engineer
Friends from VRChat
"The Other Real" embraces all glitches of the current state of the AI development and its capabilities and plays with the notions of glitchy reality merging and unfolding its layers.
Images of many of my previous artworks - Blender and Maya renders, digital photo collages, video stills, images of my avatar creations, images of my virtual worlds in Sansar, Second Life, and photos taken at VRChat events in my virtual reality art installations have served as a starting point for this AI digital images and videos.
These situationist images are also some sort of an insight into how I envision the reality that I live - as flamboyant, playful, colorful, and I see people as interesting, sometimes twisted, and complex, forming all together rhizomatic precious moments of life.
In the immersive tapestry of the digital realm, where genres and species intertwine, "The Other Real" emerges as an avant-garde exploration of the self, our protectors, and the elusive 'Other.' It beckons us to unravel the layers of avatars, a poetic dance of raw emotions and speculative digital objects, blending and reshaping our perceived realities.
In "The Other Real", we navigate the prismatic reality of art spaces, art entities and humans that inhabit them — fluid entities that morph and transcend, expressing desires, seducing, and guiding. Blobjects meld seamlessly with the endless layers of code, offering ephemeral moments of empowerment before we leap into the next identity and scene.
Dreams materialize deeply entwined with code, redefining our personas, while we gaze and meditate into and with the artworks. In this participatory genesis, we merge with art itself, synthesizing the self, we are getting in touch with our muses, while they infuse our souls.
Where does our inspiration come from and who do we have to thank for being inspired?
Subconsciousness, gods, muses, spirits, notions, art history moments, dreams, and mythic protectors are all here to guide us and hold our hand while we observe, think, and bring new art to life, being humbled yet again to be able to be part of such a glorious process.
This art project is a celebration of the uncanny, where the boundaries between self, and the Art 'Other' dissolve. Psychedelic rabbit wholes, spells, wonder, and courage received through pipelines of art all fortify our existence, helping us to morph into better human beings, while patiently waiting for the next dose of art.
Within this series, I place particular emphasis on dispersed and concentrated sculptural elements, which I refer to as Proto-Machines. These elements can only be fully developed in a virtual reality setting due to their material, extent, and imagined size and impact in gallery and installation environments.
Proto-machines can also be understood as universal toys, inspired by Karel Čapek's R.U.R., an iconic concept concerning robotic sentient creatures. In today's world, we are increasingly astonished, perplexed, and even worried about the future of AI, as we slowly integrate advanced technologies into our daily lives. Whether openly used or hidden within intricate black boxes of software, many of these processes remain opaque to the average person. Inspired by the ubiquitous assistance provided by household appliances and devices, all of the Proto-Machines hypothetically and imaginatively gain sentience in the art world. They become an integral part of a fairy tale of the AvantGarden, an ongoing narrative exploring humanism, spirituality, technology, natural resources, raw nature, and the symbolism derived from our interaction with it. Proto-Machines become our companions, protectors, and counselors, offering comfort and guidance.
In a world where we spend most of our lives in synthetic environments, and in our quest for more meaningful interaction within the Noosphere, we may immerse ourselves in the spaces of the AvantGarden to think and coexist with the Proto-Machines. These entities aid us in thinking, experiencing intense emotions, relaxing, and meditating, providing support that we have only dreamed of as sensual sentient beings from our imagination or some imaginary other planet. They are amalgams of non-organic, organic, and machinic parts, synthetic machines designed to enhance our well-being and understanding of their intrinsic nature. They are a part of us, our knowledge and data, an extension of nature and the Noosphere, emerging from Earth, Sky, and Waters.