By Sunrise Transparence
1st Place, Video (Short Film), Create | Encounter 2021
Artist Statement:
Entering the Actual Reality is an imagery-driven exploration/confrontation of life and death, in solidarity with those who are dehumanized and erased every day in our society--the preborn, the houseless, and all those subject to violence and denied their voices, safety, and human dignity. In this meticulously crafted multimedia experience, fragments of sirens and radio chatter collide with wafting singing bowls and a trombone choir rendition of the Taizé chant "Jesus, Remember Me", while hypersensory visuals of walking over the ground blend with snippets of memories, symbolized by the ubiquitous city-dwelling pigeon. The lines between objectivity and subjectivity--the sensory and the imagined--are blurred, while the arbitrary labels, categories, and narratives that are used to divide and dehumanize are rendered meaningless, revealing a puzzling, vulnerable, yet undeniably resonant experience of our common humanity.
"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT
.:. ordinary/transfigured; stasis/journey .:.
This piece was originally envisioned as part of a multi-media installation/performance art experience featuring live dancers and expressive/interactive lighting/projections. This film is a reconception of that vision to reflect our current pandemic and extended times of social distancing.
To most fully experience the immersive nature of "Entering the Actual Reality", the artist recommends being in a quiet space with full-range external speakers (or use headphones). Watching fullscreen is also advised--or, if facilities allow, take the immersion one step further and project the film on a wall/screen in a dark room.