When We Stare into the Sky

Weaving project 2021-23 Printed mesh

If we as humans imagine our future, these imaginations diverge in different cultures and historical periods. The imaginations about the future may be very independent, have conflicts with each other, or have a paradoxical relationship. Mogao Caves, a historic location used for meditation and worshipping of Buddha, is filled with ancient paintings and sculptures. These works show the imaginations of people from thousands of years ago and record the changes in these imaginations over time. Recently, people started to scan the caves, turning them into digital spheres and opening them to the public, step by step. As a virtual viewer looking up into the digitally reconstructed cave, I took a screenshot of the view and assembled these screenshots. Looking through the screen, I got a glimpse of how the people in ancient times imagined the universe, and the sky and reflected on metaphysics. How do contemporary people think about that? The answer may be found in recent science fiction movies. The scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey represents the imagination of our society in the last few decades, focusing on technology, Artificial Intelligence, and the essence of being. The images from the science fiction movie are weaved together with the digital images of the cave’s ceiling from a thousand years ago.

Donna Haraway considers weaving as a cosmological performance, meanwhile, Deleuze uses it as a metaphor to understand the relations between time, spirit, and ensemble. Could this way of perception be a method to open the way toward a commonly accepted speculative future?