Event Two: mnemoawari


‘mnemoawari’ is the title of an exhibition by Elí Joteva. It is a combination of two ideas; the Japanese word mono no aware, referring to the beauty found within the sadness of a fleeting moment, and the Greek Goddess of memory Mnemosyne, the mother of the nine muses. 

The exhibition had four parts: 3D renderings of 3 cryogenic sculptures, representing beauty immortalized, the 3 sculptures melting, representing the fleeting moment, a VR experience which put you within the sculpture, which reacted to the melting and dripping of the 3 sculptures, and an image of ‘the future’, a ball of ice made from water that stood next to someone as they slept, surrounded by the representation of brainwaves as they described their dreams. 






Technology is prevalent in Joteva’s pieces through 3D renderings, VR (and the reaction of the VR to sound), monitoring of brainwaves, and in the creation of the sculptures themselves. What I learned from seeing her work is that the relationship between science and art doesn't have to be one that boosts science, it can also just be using it to advance our perception of the human experience. It also showed how science and technology don’t have to be gimmicky, but can expand on the meaning of the artwork. The use of VR to place someone ‘within’ a melting sculpture was beautiful and clever, and didn’t feel like a use of VR for the sake of using it. The ‘DREAM AUGUR’ piece displayed two beautiful ways of capturing dreams; one a more natural, symbolic approach through the freezing of water that stood next to someone as they slept, and the other through technology and capturing brainwaves. I would definitely recommend this event to artists who want to see a blend of old symbolism (flowers as a feature of vanitas) with new forms of creating artwork. I thought the symbolism was present and the message was clear, and the medium accurately worked to portray the message without overshadowing it. 


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