Lahden valokuvataide ry:n kutsunäyttely
SHEUNG YIU
If Light Gives Us Knowledge, Bacteria Give Us Memories
15.5.–2.6.2024
Galleria Uusi Kipinä, Kenno
The glossy, textured surface of virtual reality attempts to convince us of its authenticity, yet as we traverse the digital space, take a moment to inhale: there is nothing but the metallic scent of VR goggles. While photorealism may define the digital realm, scent defines the physical world to which we are tethered.
The exhibition, If Light Gives Us Knowledge, Bacteria Give Us Memories, explores whether the constant impulse of digital archiving aids our memory or contributes to forgetfulness. While 3D photogrammetry, which employs photographs as data to construct volumetric models, can create photorealistic trompe l'oeil, they fall short in replicating every aspect of reality. The exhibition highlights elements of our tangible world that resist replication in digital space through 3D computer graphics: scent and memory. Volumetric models, products of digitization processes capturing and reconstructing, prompt contemplation on the possibility of creating memory in virtual reality. While 3D computer graphics are based on computing optical patterns, memory demands more than just optical appearance. The virtual world is built upon light, while the real world is filled with scent.
Neatly arranged within the exhibition space are 108 photographs of the same portable hard drive, serving as an analogy to 3D photogrammetry—a technique for converting physical objects into digital models. At its center lies a wax object resembling a hard drive, infused with the custom scent of an old comic book from Hong Kong, serving as an introduction to the video essay. Visitors are invited to experience this scent by igniting the wax objects upon their arrival at the exhibition, as if paying respect in a shrine.
Screening on four screens is a video essay titled "Everything is a Projection." This multi-chapter essay delves into the intersections of digital space and memory, anchored by a collection of old comic books retrieved from the artist's childhood home. Commencing with the artist’s personal story of transporting these books from his family's storage to Finland, which he now resides, the video essay embarks on a meandering journey exploring the possibility of replicating a home in digital space. At times personal and at times critical, the unfolding narrative underscores the limitations of 3D media and highlights the crucial role of scent in memory—a sensory experience that remains elusive and unattainable in virtual environments.
The exhibition also features an award-winning photobook, Everything is a Projection. The book explores one of many visual systems that form the backbone of virtual reality and gaming, and exposes the inner mechanisms of computer graphics that increasingly shape our world. Comprising a vast collection of various maps and 3D objects, it also includes an interview with Jaakko Lehtinen, head researcher at NVIDIA.
