Palimsest

The project for the British Pavilion Biennale 2020 uses the lenses of subjectivity and objectivity to examine the layers of contemporary identity. The entrance to the Pavilion is through the back where the first sight is a long wall, teeming with images projected from a computer operating under a single objective – to divide. Images representing  ‘the individual’ are projected at one end, and those defining ‘the collective’ at the other. These categories present visitors with a choice: turn right to investigate individuality, for digitised identities and changing modes of personhood, or turn left for collectivity, new cultural tribes and nations operating online. Naturally driving the circulation flow are projected streams of video, imagery and text, drawn from Twitter, YouTube, TFL, and the Houses of Parliament. These data artefacts represent the media that shape and layer individual and collective identities and capture in real-time the ephemeral concerns of people across the United Kingdom.

Time | 2018
Location | Venice
Status | Concept Design
Client | British Council
Team | M. Santi, F. Silvi, N. Su, B. Edgoose,  J. He