Installation — Projection – AI
NEW FAITH
“New Faith” explores spiritual movements in the post-religious world. Even though we think of the world as less religious than ever, we can think of patterns of quasi-religious behaviors, rituals, and beliefs across many movements and communities.
WELLNESS // THE TEMPLE OF TECHNO-WELLNESS // THE TEMPLE OF TECHNO–
WELLNESS // THE TEMPLE OF TECHNO-WELLNESS // THE TEMPLE OF TECHNO–
INTRODUCTION
My project, "New Faith," explores the concept of "Techno-Wellness," a term I coined to describe the convergence of Techno-Utopianism and the Cult of Wellness. This exploration delves into how our increasingly digitized world has transformed traditional spirituality and rituals into new forms of faith, intertwined with technology and wellness.
BACKGROUND
I discuss the growing integration of technology into personal wellness, emphasizing how gadgets, apps, and platforms have become tools for mindfulness, health, and betterment. This background sets the stage for understanding the complex relationship between technology, wellness, and spirituality in contemporary society.
THEORY
The theoretical foundation of my work argues that in the age of atheism and hyper-consumerism, we have not abandoned spirituality but transformed it. I suggest that traditional religious practices have evolved into a new system of faith, "Techno-Wellness," where technology is central to achieving personal enlightenment and well-being.
TECHNO-UTOPIANISM HAS CHANGED HOW WE CONCEIVE OF OUR BODIES AND SELVES.
TECHNO-UTOPIANISM:
MY BODY IS MY RESOURCE.
THE CULT OF WELLNESS:
MY BODY IS MY TEMPLE.
EXECUTION
To bring this theory to life, I created a multi-media installation that visualizes "Techno-Wellness" as a religion of our time. This includes analyzing and synthesizing elements from various facets of the wellness movement, such as yoga, diet, medicine, bio-hacking, and exercise. The project employs advanced language AI (at that time GPT-3) to generate a "Techno-Wellness gospel" and visually, it features a stained glass window landscape inspired by religious art. The installation is a fusion of voice, image, music, and light, representing the new spirituality in the digital age.
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SUMMARY
For me, “New Faith” embodies a very momentary portrayal, a contemporary observation, just like a photo is a single moment captured on film.
It doesn’t predict where the future of Techno-Wellness lies, nor does it judge its past. All it does is portray the New Faith as it is right now and confronts the viewer with all its wisdom and shallowness, all its teachings and platitudes. It is left to the viewer to decide what to do with this information, whether to follow it or reject it.
But I am genuinely sure that spirituality is something inevitable in our lives. Be it in the form of a trendy workout, a nice diet or some new morning routine.
University of Arts Berlin, 2021
New Media Class
Bachelor Project
newmedia.udk-berlin.de