NIDRA
Nidra means ‘to bring forth a state of inexistence’ or more simply ‘sleep’ in Sanskrit. Most people live their lives without understanding their purpose. They lie in a long sleep that lasts for the whole of their existence. They work throughout the best years of their lives integrated in a capitalist machine without having many opportunities to question what they are doing or which is the right path for them.
The personal quest for meaning is constantly postponed by the material pressures imposed by contemporary society. Nevertheless, the emergence of COVID-19 was an event that pushed a large section of the world population into questioning their life path, independently of it having been chosen by themselves or imposed on them by external factors.
A sequence of programmed processes blends and transforms videos compiled in a large original archive. The different stages connect with steps in meditative disciplines on the spiritual quest for Enlightenment.
Nidra is a reflection on life and death, a generative and interactive installation. The work was created mostly from videos with natural elements, captures in holy sites and recordings with particular symbolic power.
The sound is comprised of ambient compositions. Music is a fundamental element in the construction of the narrative universe of the work.
Some of the presented analogies are the recognition of the physical reality as electrical impulses interpreted by the sense, the progressive annulment of ego, ecstasy and union with the ultimate reality.
Nidra is a technological dream. This work has been built during a period of isolation due to the pandemic and represents our reconnection with ourselves and the natural world during these times of hardship. After a long period of enclosure inside of an apartment, the withdrawal from the urban world and the rediscovery of Nature was a cathartic experience.
The objective is creating a long contemplative experience for the viewer. He experiences the piece by sitting in front of it, in an environment of austerity. The work is of generative nature, therefore it will always produce new combinations of image and sound.
The space in which Nidra is installed becomes a place outside of time and space, a territory where the public can go and remain for hours and hours, knowing that they will find an enriching experience in constant mutation, that will foster discussion and sharing of experiences.
Nidra, 2021
generative + interactive multimedia installation, HD video, 5.1 sound
500 x 300 x 300 cm