Seeing I – The Other at The International Festival of Arts, Technology and Science KIBLIX 2020–2021

Focusing on real lives that are neither sensational, nor a spectacle, Seeing I: The Other explores the movement of people; how different cultures, societies, and languages affects one’s sense of self, and – especially during the coronavirus pandemic – the ability to share in one’s experience and world, only through digital technologies.

Seeing I: The Other shows different people’s lives from around the world streamed online, in a first person point of view, 360 degree field of view, 24-continuous-hour recording. Exploring how people respond to continuous and constant self-surveillance, whilst also testing bespoke technologies in real-life circumstances, Seeing I: The Other is a research arm of Farid’s larger project, Seeing I (2021), where Farid will live as one specific individual (the »Other«) for 24 hours a day, for two weeks in virtual reality, only experiencing what the Other experiences.

Inspired by Psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1971), Philosopher Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation (1981), and Artist Josh Harris’ Quiet: We Live in Public (1999), Seeing I will confine Farid to a gallery space, subject to the simulated life of the project’s Other. With no existing relationship to the Other, how will the constant stream of artificial sights and sounds start to displace Farid’s own internal monologue? For the duration of the project, Farid will experience no human interaction relative to his own life, allowing his indirect relationship with the Other to become his leading narrative. Adapting the question of nature vs. nurture to the digital age, Seeing I will consider how large a portion of the individual is an inherent self, and how large a portion is a consequence of environment and culture. How will the 14-days alter Farid’s movement, mannerisms, personality, and most importantly, his rationale? Without free will to determine and shape who he is, will Farid’s consciousness be enough to deter significant change?

Recorded in advance, every aspect of the Other’s life is captured; from brushing their teeth, to their commute, to their work and social life, and their most intimate moments. The Other wears a pair of customized glasses, capable of recording 24+ hours of 4K video and audio in a full, 360° field of view, all from first person POV. Their everyday actions are transformed into an act of sharing; nothing is edited out. Any editing takes the form of self-censorship, as they determine which aspects of their lives they wish to share with Farid, and the audience.

The project invites the audience to carefully witness the lives of two protagonists. The audience can experience 24 continuous hours of the protagonist’s lives without any biased editing or artistic choices. Instead, the artists asks the audience to think about the plurality of realities, and the things they have in common. None of the represented lives are to be stereotypically explored, but rather to sharpen the view for individual perceptions.

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Seeing I: The Other is a research Arm of the larger project, Seeing I: 7 Days in VR.

Culminating a residency with the European Media Artist Residency Exchange, as part of the Creative Europe Culture Programme of the European Union, 2020/21, Seeing I: The Protagonist was exhibited as part of a group show at Kiblix, The International Festival of Arts, Technology and Science at Kibla, Slovenia.

The 24-hour, first person point of view life was shown of two people:
Ibrahima (36), an asylum seeker from West Africa now living in north east England.
Hilary (72), an Art Historian and part-time Senior-Lecturer living in London.

• https://www.202122.kiblix.org/en/exhibit...