InterLīmen

A Physical & Virtual Liminal Space in the Datafication Dystopia

InterLīmen is a liminal space interconnecting the virtual and physical dimension for people to relax in the dystopian reality of data flood and digital tracking. By providing a liminal sanctuary with juxtaposed elements, InterLīmen further seeks to empower people to confront the challenges of our data-driven world.

Project Video

Abstract

Datafication dystopia refers to a world in which human experiences and activities are increasingly transformed into digital data that is subject to overwhelming surveillance, exploitation, and manipulation. InterLīmen is thus a project that seeks to explore the implications of this dystopian reality by creating a liminal space that interconnects virtual and physical dimensions and provides a sanctuary for relaxation and reflection. “Līmen”, latin for liminality, is a state of being at the threshold. “Inter”, in latin, means between. The project name InterLīmen thus represents the threshold state in-between virtual and physical, fiction and reality, relaxation and reflection. According to Michel Foucault, a liminal space is an unreal, contradictory space that opposes and compensates the real space.

InterLīmen takes Michel Foucault’s idea to perfectly synchronize the virtual and physical dimensions. Users are projected into the virtual dimension as flat shadows and are further reflected in the physical dimension on monitor screens, extending users’ sensation across dimensions. Moreover, reflective but blurry mirrors are incorporated into the installation to further immerse the users into the state of being in-between the fiction and reality. In both cases, the identities of the users are obscured, boosting the immersion experience but also emphasizing on the exposure of privacy and digital trace in the dystopian datafication world.

A forced and prolonged stagnation in such a surreal state, as analyzed by Michel Foucault, boosts reflection to the reality. In InterLīmen, elements of aesthetical liminal space that relaxes (such as ambient lighting, smooth surfaces and plants) and elements hinting at the datafication dystopia (such as monitors, surveillance cameras, data cables) are used together. Through juxtaposing contrasting elements in the space, InterLīmen produces a passive and not self-explanatory space. However, through extending the users into its virtual and physical dimension, it readily awaits users’ proactive interaction where they interconnect all the elements together, configuring their unique understanding towards the creeping datafication in a supposed relaxed space. Through its innovative design, InterLīmen aims to empower individuals to confront the challenges of our data-driven world and develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which datafication shapes our lives.

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