Alternative Realities in the age of AR filters
When we first heard about this year’s festival theme, ‘The Makeable Mind’, we were grappling with finding our own approach to a subject that can have such a variety of interpretations. During the period of social confinement and the world coming to a halt, it was challenging to look for new stimulations and inspiration. Digital platforms functioned as our main form of communication with each other as well as the gateway to the outer world.
It was then only natural for us to start our research from the comfort of our sofa and explore reality through the lens of social media. While scrolling through Instagram, we noticed our feeds are becoming flooded with alternative versions of reality created through different technologies – dreamy and colourful, escapist, improved, or one in which we would be able to interact in person with one another. Of all those, the creative use of AR (Augmented Reality) face filters caught our attention. People were creating different versions of themselves and their surroundings, perhaps one they felt more comfortable with, or true for the moment the image was captured. They were forming new realms with the use of their phone, and the result was mesmerising.
The more we delved into the subject, the more we became fascinated with how AR filters and similar digital technologies allow us to alter our (virtual) identity and blend the boundaries of reality in new ways. We learned about the different layers and complexities of AR filters, including its potential risks, such as the phenomenon of ‘selfie dysmorphia’ where filter users undergo plastic surgery to resemble their online persona, trying to meet unrealistic beauty standards. We also became increasingly curious with the great creative freedom AR filters allowed, and the way digital artists were applying these technologies to create new ways of self-expression and imaginative magical worlds. The bold and diverse works of Ines Alpha, Andy Picci, and Marcela Baltarete inspired us to organize a panel around this topic, in which we would explore these issues further, and discuss the ways in which our ever-evolving digital self-image continues to challenge the boundaries of being.
Daniela Tenenbaum & Niv Fux are Amsterdam based curators and the organisers of the panel ‘Boundaries of Being – exploring alternative realities through AR and digital technologies’. The panel will take place during the Netherlands Film Festival in collaboration with Noorderlicht Festival. September 27, Utrecht & online.
