DIGISCAPE FROM REALITY

"A Digiscape
from reality"
Simon Banos
Contributor:
Anvilla El

“A Digiscape from reality”
Contributor:
Anvilla El [poems “Preparation for Leaving” & “Home”]
The concept
“What is even going on?”; We live in a constantly changeable socio-political and
economical environment that could be perfectly described as a Kafkian cosmos of
absurdity. In my attempt to escape reality, uncertainty and hopelessness, I begun
building a parallel universe; a safe and peaceful digitopia for mental departures. This
project articulates digitally the relationship between the city and its habitants
through the dialogue of two foreign citizens of London who try to shape their ID
interacting with this unfamiliar environment.
The concept in detail
The great escape
This project was fuelled by my own sensibilities and my necessity of moulding a
place that I could call “home” since I left my home country, Greece. Being part of
Millenials’’ compelled -by political and economical situations- nomadism, this digitopia
gave me the chance to digitally sprout my roots. Millennials have disowned
current political systems as an educated and conscious political statement. We
are disappointed by the socio-political and economical decisions of the generation
X as well as the structure of values and ethics within which we were brought
up. Being shaken around by the constant shift of geopolitical winds has worn us
down. At the same time we grew up in a gold-pink, romanticized bubble constructed
by the feeling of being special, “mommy’s dearest”, in combination with the
addiction to instant gratification, individualism, consumerism and social media
culture. This bubble bursts every time we have to fit in. But fit in where? In a word
of ever-changing environments, we had to mutate in order adapt. We have inscribed
fluidity as well as the feelings of instability in our DNA, and thus we refrain
from getting too attached on a single status quo. Instead the cyberspace is our
great escape from a reality which is too challenging to deal with. That reality has
caused a mutation; and this mutation in its turn might even feel that the environment
more natural to it is virtual/digital. After all, what is even the idea of “reality” if
not another illusion?
The digitopia
The concrete structures of the buildings and the intangible structures of the English
language affect equally our emotional and behavioural patterns, in a mutual
co-dependent relationship. In this digitopia I depicted our emotional mapping of
London, reflecting on the mental photographs we took during our journeys in the
city. The process I followed to insert this in my digitopia was the following: I sent
Chang material that represent my image of the city through different means of
expression. Adapting L Wittgenstein’s theory, I thought the perfect way to obtain
genuine and raw answers from her, was to start a conversation at her mother
language! So, we discussed about space, colours, volumes, the relationship between
light & shadow and between body & space. What was considered to be the
second step, I translated her answers using Google translator, an inadequate and
misleading medium, surrendering, to the given fact that some things are meant to
be lost in (Google) translation. The result of that conversation was this digitopia -
or in other words this “digital heterotopia”. As my relationship with the city and its
citizens develops, this digital city will be infinitely accumulating in cyber time and
space. Our dialogue with Chang, took place in the “cyber neighbourhood”.

The digi-citizens
But who are we, if not the fictitious, complex personas we create on Facebook and
Instagram? Our ID floats in the web 2.0 being distorted, deconstructed and reconstructed
every time we “click” on another website. We are photoshoped, gender-fluid,
hybrid super-Marios, princes and princesses. Fragmented pieces constituted by
myriads of IDs that repose in the cyber world our missing dreams, exaggerated
characteristics and quirks. We are what we “click”, we are becoming what results
from that “clicking” and we are growing up as accumulated data and pixels. We
are crossing that threshold where, while we have already overcome our “natural
origins”, we’re about to leave our “concrete nature” behind for the digital one. The
terms of this dialogue: the city and the citizens, have been substituted by their cyber
versions: the web 2.0 and the Facebook personas, respectively. We experience
Heidegger’s “being-in-the-world” in its alternative: the “cyber-being-in-the-digitalworld”.
Where is our ID after all formed? In the physical or in the cyber world? Each
building, object and rock is a part of each person’s memories and thus contribute
to the formation of their identity. In the same way, photos on Instagram and Facebook,
quotations on Twitter, data and video games haunt our memories as we are
browsing the web. We live into two parallel cities and universes.
The spatial design - curating
We are ready to escape reality and “enter the void”. Let’s pack our hopes, our
dreams and depart. The synthesis in the window narrates this digi-departure.
The packing boxes imply the preparation for the journey; we move out from this
absurdity - we’ve had enough. The metaleptic narrative brings the visitor in front
of the gate where she can have a look into the digitopia, as the packing boxes
shape an extended threshold to this parallel word. A poem is written on semitransparent
sheets, narrating ordinary (compulsive) domestic rituals that bring the
feeling of intimacy; an intimacy that includes the feeling of uncanny as we visit an
unfamiliar digital environment.
“Sixth principle: The last trait of heterotopias is that they have a function in relation
to all the space that remains. This function unfolds between two extreme poles. Either
their role is to create a space of illusion that exposes every real space, all the sites
inside of which human life is partitioned, as still more illusory. Or else, on the contrary,
their role is to create a space that is other, another real space, as perfect, as meticulous,
as well arranged as ours is messy, ill constructed, and jumbled.” 1
The heterotopic, timeless space of the window operates as an extended threshold
towards a parallel digi-universe. This very non-space belongs neither to the interior
nor to the exterior space of the building and simultaneously to both of them.
The window is full of potential to “unlock” the gate for this coexisting within the
physical city layer. The artefacts are the chorus that surrounds the central scene,
forecasting the transition. In this way, this heterotopia is brought to life, obtains
substance and temporality. From the “Phygital objects” to the “Roses are pink” and
to “Pixelating”, the narrative is gradually unfolded, transferring the viewer to my
digitopia, as the phygital phenomenon takes place. The blend of 2D and 3D dimensions
through opening windows into this digitopia that distort the perception of
the real space, questions even further the idea of real and perceived space.
1 Foucault, Michel. Of Other Spaces, (1967) journal Architecture/Movement/Continuities,
p.3 of 6

Let's escape from
this absurdity
Reality sucks
Roses are pink
Pixels are blue
My hand is pixelated
Because of you
To Internet
With love,
Simon
Preparation for Leaving
by Anvilla El
So exciting!
Soon, I'll be leaving.
An opportunity is waiting
Brave new life is waving
So terrifying!
I may fail, I hope not.
my heart commands, follow me. Dream
triumphs the fear.
Aye, wipe off the tear.
Childhood, my sweet room. books,
drawings, piano, plants... I have you on
Polaroid
My sanctuary, my wonderland.
Skype tutorial for mum. Cooking training
for me. One last night
One suitcase
One way ticket

Home
by Anvilla El
At last, I shut my mouth as
I've been wishing for.
I'm home. Leave me alone.
Shall we unpack? I agree
with myself.
Being a painter, carpenter,
decorator...I'm just making a
mess. Don't care, the mattress
is cosy.
Neighbour's got my mail, I'm
settling down.
Bath tub looks less suspicious
now. Perhaps I got
used to it. "Mum, you wanna
Skype?"
"Work's fine, I don't wanna
talk about it."
Switch on the heating. Hug
it tight.
I'm in love. I'm home.
A dancing shadow on the
warm side of the steamy
window.
Have to retreat.
Have to prepare for the
world outside. Maybe it's
time to finally have a cat!
What about a house party
once a year? A bigger desk?
I've always wanted a piano!

The genealogy of the project:
Fragmented pieces of this digitopia have been
exhibited in the following venues:
• “Lost in Google Translation: The Heterotopia
within which we meet”: The “post-talk”
Concrete Matters [exhibition]
Curated by Caterina Avataneo, Rokhsane Hovaida,
Rosie Jenkins, Christina Makri, Angela Pippo,
Margaux Rivoal, Despoina Tzanou, Eline Verstegen,
Raphael Vasilas, Sveva Tonioli, Iliana Deligiorgi
London Metropolitan University & Whitechapel Gallery joint
program
Bank Space Gallery
17 March 2016
77-82 Whitechapel High St, London, E1 7QX
• “Lost in Google Translation: The Heterotopia
within which we meet”
Susak Expo 2016 [biennale]
Curated by Natalie Anastasiou, Chel Logan & Kagweni
Micheni
12 May 2016
Gallerie 531, X -Position
Kuca 600, Sansego, Istarska, Croatia
• “Lost in Google Translation: The Digidate - A
dedication to Lena Platonos”
All the sins [literary and arts magazine]
1st issue
6 October 2016
• “Lost in Google Translation: The mental photographs”
Imaginary Worlds: Illustration Now [exhibition]
Oriel Davies Gallery
22 October 2016 - 25 February 2017
The Park, Newtown, Wales, SY16 2NZ
• “Lost in Google Translation: A Digiscape from
Reality”
MEMEMEME [exhibition]
Curated by Giota Papakyriakou, Ismene King & Yarli
Allison
The Crypt Gallery (St Pancras)
16 - 17 February 2017
St Pancras Parish Church, Euston Road, WC1H 9PJ