The title of the exhibition is “Paresthesia“, the exact meaning of this is, that it is the posh word for pins and needles. You get pins and needles after a period of numbness, it’s part of the process of that area of your body ‘waking up.’
In the creative world, there are moments of knowing and many more of unknowing, of being lost. We try to embrace these, piecing together fragments of thought and searching for meaning across these plains of study of what design is and could become. Yet, this culmination, this static, like progressing states of pins and needles, there are moments left in numbness. When this numbness passes, and when every point and needle dissipate do our bodies become awakened again. Paresthesia can be uncomfortable, and confusing, but from this there will always be a passing, a time when things arise and are now clear.
This exhibition includes collaborative works from both MA Digital Arts and MA Design.
There will also be a showcase of MA Architecture, MA Landscape Architecture and MA Web Design and Content Planning.
Private view: 21st September from 6pm – 8pm. Sponsored by Three Legs Brewery 
Exhibitor Statements (MA Design, MA Digital Arts)
Verity Rock
Re:Cognition
“We accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented. It’s as simple as that.” – The Truman Show
The reality of our world is that, wherever we are, someone is watching us thanks to surveillance technology. Those digital eyes seek access to every piece of our human experience, in a bid to turn us into cash cows. With every click on a website, every Google search, every opening of an email from a store, or swiping of a loyalty card, someone who isn’t you profits. So why do we accept this as normal practice?
Through the lens of indoctrination, RE: Cognition seeks to explore how this type of acceptance has been methodically and systematically installed into our consciousness. We have all inherited a generational ceiling teaching us that with every breach of our privacy, and every ‘justification’ for doing so, that it is normal. We have no say. We have no recourse. We’re just cogs in a machine. But what if we weren’t? What if the system in which we live is the cogs, and we are the wrenches?
The transparent cogs representing that hidden yet ever-present system, each bear one of the many steps that lead to our acceptance of being led, coerced, and used to further someone else’s financial agenda. By giving these steps substance, we can see them for what they are: controlling, transgressive, and begin the process of taking back what has always been ours, our autonomy.
Eleni Tzilini
In a modern world full of distraction in lost paths, it all comes down to aspects of life and human connections that we often seem to forget or look away from. Sometimes it’s even our own truth and selves that escape us.
Abstract ideas about the world, reality, time, and humanity, are themes that constantly inhabit my attention and I examine them through a table full of various creative tools, like video, photography, print, sound and writing. The dynamism and synthesis of those seemingly unconnected forms can create, when put together, quite surprising results.
Is the truth hidden in the real world or within ourselves? Have we forgotten about it? What is the truth anyway? What about the patterns that we create along the way? Those questions might seem difficult to answer, but not impossible to explore. It’s not necessarily about finding black and white absolutes, but rather about discovering the grey areas of asking and remembering.
Specifically, my major project takes us on a multimedia journey that explores and merges various antitheses – the digital and the analogue, the past and the future, the free and the trapped, the conscious and the subconscious – in search of an inner truth. In other words, by putting all those paradoxes into three narratives – a book, a blog, and a final installation – I aim to break the boundaries of what a project can be and take you on a ride with me to a forgotten “home”.
Iulia Stan
Hi.
Hello.
Imagine having superpowers and being able to answer every question you’ve ever asked yourself.
I was born in Transylvania and I have a big sister, which made me be interested in art and creativity. I can say that she is one of my first ever influences and supporters.
I studied coding for the past 6 years and then I decided to try something different, such as Digital Arts. My work is visualised through photography, videography and poetry, and it’s based on spirituality, family connection and science. I’ve learned what the uniqueness of a photo means from Cindy Sherman. I’ve learned to transform stories into poems from Rupi Kaur and from so many artist videos that have captured my attention. I believe I’ve learned how to transpose a part of myself in my work and make it unique and memorable.
I hope that my work will make viewers feel empathy and at the same time encourage a connection with their own loved ones. I believe my work is about giving a strong message, but at the same time is about beauty and calling people to experience something new, that hopefully will remain in their memory.
Jack Loft
GG!
Good Game!
A common phrase used at the end of a video game, it looks positive upon first glance, a friendly gesture that represents a close, competitive, yet fun game. But not always. The two simple letters of GG can also be used in a variety of ways to emphasise toxicity. Language can be altered and utilised in multiple different ways, but in the digital competitive space, people just really like swearing at each other.
Toxicity is so much more than just swearing. So far, developers have come up with an innovative ping system that aims to provide a warning noise and show the location of potential danger to other team members, which could be an interesting method of communication; alas it is used to spam annoying noises on players who make questionable decisions. Elements to improve gameplay are regularly repurposed for toxic means, such as the primary use of a crouch button is to teabag another player.
Different games and developers are constantly exploring new ways to reduce toxicity in games, yet I still can’t load a shooter without getting called a slur, multiple times. Is there a way to collaborate and explore combining these different systems to build a less toxic environment? Through investigating these systems, can we move towards a more positive future in which toxicity can be discouraged for all players?
Kornelija Bruzaite
DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT
DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT
IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTYDIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY
DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT
DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY DIRT IS NOT DIRTY WHAT IS NOT DIRT EVERYTHING IS DIRT BUT THE DIRT IS NOT
DIRTY SOIL DIRT PAIN DIRT DIRT SWEAT STRANGER CONVERSATIONS SPACE AIR LINES FOREST DIRT MIRE
TOUCH CRUD DUST SEDIMENT DREG QUIET LIVENESS CONNECTION LABOUR TIME REPETITION SMELL
DESIRE THIRSTY VULNERABILITY SOIL FOOD PLEASURE DEATH FULFILMENT SILENCE PEACE PEOPLE
CONVERSATIONS NOTHINGNESS KNOWLEDGE
Melina Zochling
Have you ever been afraid of the ocean?
This work seeks to find comfort in places you’ve been most afraid of. Growing up
in landlocked Austria, I love to spend time by the sea and find
comfort in it.
However, not everyone sees it that way. The deep expanses of the ocean are
frightening for many and bring them not only fear, but distress and phobias.
I try to provide not only the human eye, but also the human psyche with
the beauty of the sea and want to explore the contrast between the inherent fear and love of the sea. Is there a world deep down in the sea that we have no idea about?
Certainly.
Today’s technologies such as Artificial Intelligence show us real life data of
newly explored ocean depths, unveiling unknown aquatic species and in turn expose the even larger unknowns of our oceans. In my project certain aspects of the real world (gathered through AI data and 3D rendered landscapes) are integrated into an virtual world in order to bring the viewer into an immersive space. Here, the certain-uncertain paradox brings into question the contrasting nature of love and fear.
This is furthered through the use of text, sound and visuals to guide you into the
world of the unbearable.
Patricia Luyindula
I’m a visual artist of Angolan descent, from West London. My practice is informed by pain that my body has endured, which I try to communicate with the use of different artforms. In my new project, ‘Hemicrania Continua’, I explore the use of video loops and abstract, surround sound to bring to life the pain I and others experience when having a migraine. With this piece, I aim to create an immersive, multisensory simulation.
Riya Prajapat
VASTULY
Do we still need knowledge from 6,000 years ago? When applied to modern design, what are its benefits and consequences? How can one live a happy and healthy life by only adhering to a few guidelines? In the past, dwelling was understood to refer to the act of constructing physical structures, but today it stands more like a metaphor for the human experience of the world that includes anthropological and aesthetic considerations. Harnessing nature’s abundance to build healthy, prosperous, and productive living and working settings is one tool to promote spiritual well-being and help the economy and wellness.
VASTULY brings the ancient Indian science of architecture known as ‘Vastu Shastra’ to your smart devices. The data guide feature explains Vastu Shastra’s fundamentals, alignment with the laws of nature, and cardinal directions in a matter of minutes. Simply relocating specific objects inside your floor plans will enhance positive harmony and eradicate negative energies. By prioritising the areas that need closer attention, a few simple but significant changes can alter any space and maximise its potential. This app is an authentic platform where clients don’t feel scammed and can get guidance on the real science of spaces by Vastu practitioners all around the world.
This app does not claim to be able to uncover new design concepts, but rather to provide guidelines for the existing physical space and to lay out the process itself. Rather than looking at floor plans as a drawing or a method, this line of inquiry explores the underlying domain to which everything that is belongs and suggests that each object sustains energy which can be manoeuvred to design a positive lifestyle.
Sarah Moulvi
Escaping Primal Identities of Virtual Reality
“Dreams look real, but they’re in your mind, so you realize that the physical world is also a construction, which shows that the mind can affect reality in more ways than you can imagine”
-Stephen LaBerge
If we can understand our creation of objects in the physical world, the ones we observe, interact with, hear, taste, and smell through different methods that challenge our understanding of each, then what, when made virtual, do they become?
In the virtual space, there is no need of any object unless the context desires it. For instance, in games, objects are made easily relatable, as they are mere 3D virtual copies. But, if the context did not dictate this standard, could we materialise and transgress representation? Subsequently, would this lead to a change in our perception and interaction, as we would have explored this redefining of what these objects once were?
For example, a rain chair is an inherently understandable and relatable concept, as its creation is borne of the natural – water. This is not possible in our physical world, as gravity and water cannot achieve this naturally. Yet, the digital element removes these physical constraints of what is impossible, and instead enters a fully controllable and constructible limitless hyperreality. In this context, objects and even ourselves can be re-interpreted, represented and re-evaluated. Which is essentially asking: what potential does it pose to our current understanding of the world, and the constructed ones we build through the advanced tool of virtual reality?