Kaleidoscope for plural perspectives, 2024
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles – 2024
Studio Olafur Eliasson
The Digital Cultures course offered a transformative exploration of the intricate relationships between society, culture, and digital technologies, especially within the pressing context of the climate emergency. The course challenged conventional thinking and emphasized the principle of relationality—underscoring that nothing exists in isolation. This approach revealed the interconnected dynamics of the digital age and their far-reaching implications on global systems.
Key Learnings and Themes
A key of the course was the emphasis on relationality and interconnected systems. We examined how digital cultures are shaped by networks, connections, and speed, and how our world operates as a complex, interdependent ecosystem. This perspective revealed the co-evolution of society and technology, highlighting how cultural, political, and ecological factors both influence and are influenced by digital transformations.
Another profound theme was multicultural connections and syncretism. The course demonstrated how diverse cultures merge in digital spaces, creating hybrid expressions and interactions. In this context, we critically analyzed the concept of the polycrisis, which captures the interconnected crises spanning economics, politics, the natural world, and social systems. This exploration emphasized the collective nature of global challenges, showing that while crises are experienced differently worldwide, they remain deeply intertwined. A vital takeaway was the necessity of a relational perspective—one that bridges “self and other,” “here and there,” and “now and then”—to achieve meaningful progress.
The climate emergency was a focal point, framing the urgent need for systemic change over incremental adjustments. The course advocated for inclusive, sustainable solutions that address the interconnected social, economic, and environmental factors driving the crisis. Additionally, the exploration of the crisis of imagination—the difficulty in conceptualizing how individual actions ripple across global systems—was particularly striking. This limitation limits our ability to envision alternative futures and systemic transformation, underscoring the importance of creative, critical thinking.
Deconstructing Metaphors and Embracing Collaboration
A significant insight was the critical analysis of metaphors like “the cloud” and “artificial intelligence.” These terms often obscure the physical realities of data centers and the intricate complexities of machine learning. By deconstructing such metaphors, the course highlighted how language shapes societal perceptions of technology, filtering our understanding through cultural and personal contexts.
Collaboration played a pivotal role throughout the course, fostering diverse perspectives and innovative approaches. Group projects underscored the value of collective imagination in building inclusive futures. The culmination of this collaborative effort was the “bizarre bazaar,” where speculative narratives of change took center stage. My group focused on the concepts of identity and time in the contexts of Hong Kong’s aging population, using AR tools to blend historical imagery with modern environments. This project, featuring Timeless Camera and Memory Shots, showcased technology’s potential to connect people with their history, heritage, and each other, preserving moments in their most vivid and immersive essence.
This final exercise encapsulated the course’s core message: futures as stories, not solutions. It encouraged critical and imaginative thinking to address the polycrisis, emphasizing the far-reaching impacts of decisions across interconnected systems.
