mere - I got stuck in textures, nothing can go wrong
2023, Audiovisual performance
Credits:
The project was made by the mere art group (Olesya Ilenok and Andrey Chugunov).
The premiere took place on 6 October 2023 at 'The artificial we are embodied in' event organized by _VOID Nomadic Gallery at Dream Machine Glasgow supported by the Betty McAllister Award. The show was accompanied by an impact on the sense of smell and taste.
Used media:
4-channel video made with photogrammetry and AI-filters, 8 channel surround sound, 8 channel floor sound.
Description:
In a world where wildlife outlives us by centuries, 'I got stuck in textures, nothing can go wrong' invites us to question our place in the grand tapestry of time. These ancient beings existed long before us, coexist with us in the present, and will continue to thrive long after we are gone. But what is time for these majestic trees, and what does it mean for us? When you find yourself surrounded by the unspoiled wilderness, do you sense a connection to the very earth you tread upon as if your existence is germinating alongside nature? The project challenges the audience to contemplate whether people are sprouting into nature or if nature is sprouting into people. Are you becoming one with the eternal, feeling nature's touch like lichen settling upon your skin, as though you were the bark of a century-old tree?

Collected video recordings of forest bark textures and macro-footages of human skin form the basis for generative AI graphics. Forests' field recordings and records of the interaction of natural surfaces and contact microphones are combined with human-generated sound to complement the exploration of the scale of the human and the natural. This artwork explores the delicate balance between the digital and the tangible, between the human and the natural, and questions whether our contemporary world can replicate the profound connection that exists between humans and the natural environment.