Whispers of Contradiction
Description
Whispers of Contradiction, an introduction to contemplation
Language about subjects as elusive as the quantum world-and God-seem "entangled" precisely because they are not descriptions of, but engagements with, reality" David Oakley
Whispers of Contradiction is an electronic art installation that assimilates scientific and sacred texts, merging literal description with metaphorical imagery in an attempt to consider the elusive nature of human knowledge and belief through its own articulation. This project explores a selection of religious and scientific texts in which investigations into the nature of the world, specifically the quantum world, have led to a variety of questions about how to define and communicate essential observations and abstractions, how to describe our relationship to the universe or God, and how to reach beyond the boundaries of existing thought.
Entering this immersive environment as participants, we are asked to listen to riddling contradictions of selected texts and adopt them as touch points of our own inner conversations. Reflecting on the process that occurs when absorbing the scientific and religious "bookends" of our thinking, we encounter pieces of our own personal dialogue that are always in question: What could it mean for one part of reality to know another, and to what extent would this be possible? Does the content of thought merely give us abstract and simplified 'snapshots' of reality, or can it go further, somehow to grasp the very essence of the living movement that we sense in actual experience? (David Boom, Wholeness and the Implicate Order, 1980). Within the space of this exhibit, it is suggested that these pieces are ultimately reunified within the space of contemplation.
In narrative explanations of quantum physics, there are inherent contradictions about electrons: they are often described as both up and down; both localized and non-local in space, both local and non-local in time. Religious narratives also invite a similar struggle with contradiction, particularly those concerning descriptions of God as Creator and the Creator's relationship to humanity. Within a multi-channeled sonic field, descriptions of the universe from Heraclites to Feynman and Wheeler are countered by readings from Genesis, Isaiah, and Job. Listening, we navigate our way and create our own dialogue as one navigates through scientific and sacred teachings to create his or her own relationship within the world. We are not asked to resolve the tension logically, but to focus our awareness on the "resting place" in between-the place where these texts are open to the imagination.
Visual art plays a pivotal role in articulating the meeting place for the fusion of contradiction and the process that is the essence of contemplation. The language of art itself embodies paradox, mystery and contradiction; artistic metaphors and symbols are much less restricted by the laws of logic and tap into our relationship with reality. Using new approaches to experiential design within motion graphics and video, this installation presents a gradual layering of sound, typography, and video. Whispers begins with an immersive field of spoken narrative, is followed by their interplay in the form of text and symbol, and is concluded with a video in which metaphorical imagery invites mediation and contemplation.
The chosen media have the capacity to pose questions in a range of ways to engage the viewer on multiple levels: aurally, visually, spatially, and conceptually. There is a certain dimensional and relational quality produced by these media in combination that hopefully provokes a heightened level of interaction and awareness. Whispers has been created as a liminal setting, and humbly offers a series of spaces designed to elicit reflection on the nature of how we articulate our relationship to that which is all around us. We hope that the outcome of this installation will be an experience that illuminates the rich binary tensions found in faith or science traditions, opening up new meaning to contradiction, concept, conversation, and above all--contemplation.
The collaborative team responsible for this project include: Brian DeLevie, Creative Director and Executive Producer; Isshaela Ingham, assistant director, writer and researcher; Jeff Klien, audio designer; David Oakley, original concept and assistant producer; Jason C. Otero, video and graphic designer; Mark Somple, audio and exhibition designer; Ryan Soos audio designer; and Andrea Van Woudenberg, video designer.