Replica, Avatar, Doppelgänger: Flight Mode

Curators

CapeLab

Artists

Freddie Churchill

Kangni Guo

Junghyun Kim

Laurie Martin

Jiao Shi

Yichun Yao

Newnew Zinger

Flight Mode, as a physical manifestation of the online exhibition Replica, Avatar, Doppelgänger, continues to explore the dynamics of individuals navigating the emotionally capitalistic digital world. Moreover, it employs the framework of Replica-Avatar-Doppelgänger to scrutinise the underlying systemic structures of contemporary cyberspace.

Sociologist Eva Illouz noted that since the late 20th century, emotions have become pivotal in the market economy, serving as the backdrop for both production and consumption. In today's AI-driven online era, emotional capitalism is even more pronounced, with platforms leveraging emotions through data manipulation to gain control over the psyche. The self undergoes continuous alienation through the trajectories of Replica, Avatar, and Doppelgänger, mirroring the systemic alienation of human civilization. Knowledge is digitalized, replicated, and used to train AI, with large models becoming avatars of human civilization's knowledge. As existing data depletes, tech giants are exploring AI training AI, hinting at the emergence of unexpected doppelgängers.

In a literal sense, flight mode refers to temporarily disconnecting our digital devices from the online world during air travel. When our bodies are in the clouds, our minds detach from the digital information flow. These two forms of existence in the cloud create an intriguing interplay.

The exhibition will take place at Koppel Collective in north London, a gallery space with a facade made of glass. Seven installations, utilising mixed media, will be showcased there. Despite standing on solid ground within the exhibition hall, activating flight mode may allow our thoughts to soar in a serene zone.