The Beginning Was The End: Hypercubes, 2010 — 2017

Videosculpture

These transparent cubes are 3-dimensional models of the ideas presented in my Diagram series, as part of The Beginning Was The End. I collaborated with renowned Indonesian artisans, architects, and the new media lab House Of Natural Fiber to create a visceral experience of Javanese reality for Western audiences. Activated by video, these pieces simulate chunks of space-time erased from the fabric of reality, like a hole in the air: delicate, powerful gauges designed to reveal the unseen phenomena present in the same time and space occupied by their viewers. (Hypercubes, in mathematics, are cubes existing in more than three dimensions; I use the title as a reminder that higher dimensions of reality are ever-present.) The exhibition is amplified by a live-processed sound installation, making the interaction between dimensions tangible.

Hypercube No. 1
Polyester resin, projector, Raspberry Pi, live-processed sound, walnut (runtime: 01:13)
7” x 5” x 7″

This work houses forms emerging from my research on Javanese cosmology, as seen in my diagram Metaphysics. Layers of video are projected into them, mapping images directly into their shapes on an endless loop. The pinhole video was shot in Java, Manhattan, Boston, and at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Photo | Mie Corneodus.

Hypercube No. 3
Polyester resin, projector, Raspberry Pi, live-processed sound, walnut (runtime: 01:14)
12” x 12” x 12”

The ziggurat form in Hypercube No. 3 embodies concepts appearing in my Four Saudara diagram, in much the same way as a temple embodies a mandala. The series to which this piece belongs offers audiences an experience of phenomena beyond what human senses are designed to perceive. The pinhole video was shot in Java, Manhattan, Boston, and at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Photo | Mie Corneodus.

Hypercube No. 2
Polyester resin, light, live-processed sound, walnut (runtime: 00:40)
10” x 10” x 10”

Hypercube No. 2 consists of two parts and is lit from below. The mirroring, halving, and splitting that occurs within this piece is consistent with the cleansing ritual at the center of my research, which the piece describes. My diagram entitled Knowledge serves as a blueprint for this piece. Photo | Mie Corneodus.

  • Oowenology
  • Polyester resin, light, live-processed sound, walnut (runtime: 00:46)
  • 15″ x  5″D

This physical model of my Oowenology diagram describes the shared space between two interacting entities or processes as having its own identity, characteristics, and potential to develop as a conduit for Knowledge. Photo | Mie Corneodus.