Buried contact
11-11.io
In 'Buried Contact', I unveil a journey between Arabic alchemy and digital innovation, exploring the fusion of silicon's primordial matter with the spirituality of Jinn. This work delves into the heart of the imaginal, weaving an intricate dialogue between ancient symbolism and the digital ether, where technology becomes a bridge between the real and the metaphysical, unveiling the hidden magic in our digital everyday.
"And He created the jinn
from a smokeless flame
of fire."
(Quran, Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:15)
وَخَلَقَ الْجَانَّ مِن مَارِجٍ مِّن نَّارٍ"
(Quran, Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:15)
Their essence is of a fiery nature, an unstable element. Their subtle reality lacks physical protection. As a result of their spiritual power but physical fragility, they conceal themselves in various forms. This means they possess power, yet, being formless, they are exposed to the elements. Exposed to everything that might extinguish their electricity. Their world is based on imagination, the imaginal realm. Their manifestation is tied to imagination, the more imagination there is, the more they can manifest. They encourage us to imagine, to use imagination, so that they can appear.
Their favored environment is the sand, from which the silicon chip is born. They have inspired and taught mankind how to build their own home, a chip made of silica, based on sand. Occupying the chip, they fulfill the promise by facilitating everything that humans ask for. Just type it, and they are listening, obeying, and sending the command.”
In "Buried Contact," we delve into the depths of technology, starting from the mineral aspects of amorphous silicon, reaching out to the imaginal territory that extends around technology.
In this ritual, aspects related to Arabic alchemy and tradition are present. Two main metals are used: lead and amorphous silicon. In this space, physical elements are juxtaposed with virtual elements, intimately connected. Pixel architectures in the viewer appear as data grids, structures entwined in the memories of silicon.
In the space where the ritual unfolds, in opposition to silicon, we see lead, the metal used by سليمان King Sulaymān (Solomon) mentioned in the tale “The Fisherman and the Secret of the Black Hills” from One Thousand and One Nights, which inspires this work. In the story, vases filled with lead and sealed with the ring of سليمان King Sulaymān are described. The geometries and grids in the mixed reality visions proposed in the viewer are emanations evoking the state of immersion imposed by the digital world. The artist's intent is to investigate, from a spiritual perspective, the presence of the digital in our lives, finding the keys to explore new imaginal pathways that integrate ancient codes, discovering the connections between technology and magic.
This ritual space, part of the 11-11.io project, reflects on the presences hovering around silicon, which feed on the human imaginal territory, continuously inspiring it.
