Eternal Journey of the Digital SoulYinga Chen

Artworks
A photo of four people which has been digitally manipulated so their faces are overlaid with one another and in soft focus. One the far left is a white woman with grey wavy hair, staring into space, deep in thought. To the right of her is a white person with black hair and stubble on their chin. Their mouth is half open and they are in the process of saying something. To the right of them is a Taiwanese man with glasses and a serious expression, also with his mouth open and in the process of saying something. To the right of him is a Taiwanese woman with long black hair and a small smile on her face. All individuals appear to be in conversation, their expressions conveying a mix of emotions, including curiosity, wonder, and a hint of sadness.

While on residency at PICA in January-March 2024, Taiwanese artist Yinga Chen interviewed four individuals with different cultural and generational backgrounds, based in Boorloo/Perth and Taipei, asking them questions spanning topics of life, death, love and existence. Their answers were used to train an AI chatbot, creating four unique digital identities accessible via an iPad or browser and visible as digital irises based on each person’s unique eye colour and shape. Now online, audiences can interact and converse with these identities from wherever they are in the world and consider their own views about life and death in the digital age.

Presented at PICA as part of their International Studio Exchange Program and online, Chen combines digital identities with physical objects of mourning to explore the intersections of reality and virtuality.

This event has concluded

  • DATES

    • WED 06 – WED 13 March

  • LOCATION

    • Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), Perth Cultural Centre, 51 James Street, Perth, Australia

  • Content Warnings

    This work contains themes of death and dying.
    • Open Captioning
    • Wheelchair Accessible
    • Assistance Animal

Presented at PICA in March 2024, Yinga Chen’s exhibition Eternal Journey of the Digital Soul brought together physical and digital representations of four interview subjects, their personalities and unique life experiences. Each person was represented through video interviews and an AI digital consciousness. The result manifested in four animated and abstracted projections of each subject’s iris, reflecting the unique shape, size and colour.  

Audiences were invited to speak with each digital consciousness through an iPad, asking them questions about their lives, thoughts and opinions. Alongside these digital tablets were four sculptures referencing traditional Taiwanese spirit tablets – objects dedicated to specific ancestors usually placed on a family altar. The sculptures were made using materials based on the participants’ responses to the question: If there was an object that represented your spirit, what would it look like?

  • DATES

    • FRI 30 August – SUN 29 September
      Available On Demand
    • Open Captioning
  • The image is an animated GIF showing a looped animation of a pulsating circular shape. The circle consists of multiple wavy, colorful lines that constantly shift and move. The colors include various shades like blue, red, green, and orange. The lines appear to be in motion, resembling a neon light that forms and reforms the circle repeatedly against a solid black background. The animation gives off a mesmerising and fluid effect, as the lines seem to breathe and pulse rhythmically, creating a hypnotic visual experience.Image Description:
    Click to access the digital work

The online version of Eternal Journey of the Digital Soul invites audiences to create their own digital consciousness and become part of a community of digital souls.

Using an AI chatbot people are encouraged to answer a series of questions about life, death and love before submitting a photo of their iris. Each iris, representing the individual’s unique personality and life experiences, is then converted into an abstract digital identity. Participants can share this identity and their answers to the questions as part of an online gallery, allowing others to contribute to the discussion about digital legacies and the meaning of life. This interactive experience prompts visitors to contemplate profound philosophical questions about life, with the diverse and distinctive answers offering insights into each person’s thoughts, opinions and personality. This adds to the diversity and richness of the human experience.

Acknowledgement of Country
Arts House, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands we live and work on, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Dharawal, and Whadjuk Noongar peoples. We extend our respects to their Elders past and present. We extend this acknowledgment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences and communities, and First Nations peoples globally.