The Silicon Soul

The Silicon Soul   

    The human body, mind, and soul are all connected. When one is weakened, the others consequently feel the effect. We are in an era where we will have the ability to separate our mind from our body through the use of technology. This brings to question the effect it will have on our soul. The digital age has infected us with addiction and desperation. No stretch of the imagination is needed to see the darker side of humanity magnified through the digital medium. How much of our humanity are we willing to lose in the search for our baser needs? How far will we go in search for acceptance, power, love, right and wrong, and who we are?
    I want to explore the search for one’s self and the desperate obsession it yields. I have created several different characters for this project. Each will have a name and a background to go along with the corresponding images.
    The first character is a lonely male searching for acceptance and meaning and when he can not get this from the real world he becomes desperate and obsessed with the attention and power the digital world offers.
    In the near future there may be new ways we separate ourselves but love knows no boundaries. Inspired by my own long-distance relationship, two lovers become frustrated with the connection this world offers and find solace in the digital realm. These characters will be separated by culture and distance but through technology, will never have to be apart.
    Free work with little or no pay is like chum for the worst of digital sharks. Imagine a place where people have become slaves to data processing; slavery will no longer be in sweat shops on the other side of the world but in warehouses right next-door. The worst of humanity will show through this character.
     Some radical minds of today believe soon it may be possible to piece together all of a human’s data, records, decisions, and shared memories to bring them back to this world. Will it really be them or just a good replication. The desolation and grief of losing a father will drive his only daughter to risk losing herself to bring him back.
     Our bodies are weak and fail, but now we are understanding it may be possible to live forever through computers. I want to portray a person who is willing to do whatever it takes to cheat death and continue to live on through a digital horizon.
    Influenced greatly by the media and movies, I have been entertaining these ideas for years. One of my main inspirations comes from the movie The Matrix. The idea that my mind can be connected in a network while my body lay lifeless in a pod has stuck with me. Much of the artwork from the movie will help guide me to create and deliver a more believable scene. One man today believes soon it may be possible to transcend our physical bodies. Ray Kurzweil is an inventor and futurist,  and I was greatly influenced by what he had to say in his world wide speaking tour.
    Just as technology has many mediums, I intend to use many different mediums to present my work. My prints will be on metallic paper to give a cold and metallic look to the images. I plan on using the props from the project as installation pieces for the final show. Each character will have a computer station displaying the images along with a background of their life to give a richer portrayal of each person.  I have been collecting computer components all summer, and have most of the supplies needed to completely accomplish the desired experience.
    I hope to attract all who are questioning the rapid obsession and dependence of the digital machine. I jump at the possibility to make the younger crowd stop and think about their addiction to the “tech” of today. I want to ask the question of spirituality and the soul in the digital world. This project will allow us all to explore the struggle our souls may face in the near future.