Quartet B - Memento Mori

Quartet B - Memento Mori is an interactive imagination composition tailored for four participants, set against a backdrop of a mirror structure. Implicitly addressing our evolving relationship with technology, this project delves into the shifting perceptions of human attributes such as vanity and mortality, transformed by the influence of big data, algorithms, and daily interactions with social media. How do we find common ground when synchronized by an algorithmic reign?

Intriguing questions emerge: How do the ephemeral and the eternal coexist today? How does the body 'in transit' relate to the mind 'in transit'? This exploration draws parallels with the 'vanitas' style prominent in Dutch art of the 16th and 17th centuries, depicting the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death.

Common 'vanitas' symbols—skulls, decaying fruit, bubbles, smoke, timepieces, and hourglasses—resurface in a contemporary context. Here, the ephemeral allure of fruit, flowers, and butterflies mirrors life's fleeting nature and its bittersweet taste.

"Quartet B - Memento Mori" immerses four visitors for approximately 30 minutes per session. Guided by a lead voice, participants engage in an experiential journey that occasionally prompts movement around the mirror structure.

Comprising a solid mirror structure with four standalone mirrors or hangable from a ceiling or tree branch, the composition involves a computer, an external sound card, four transmitters/receivers, and four headphones. With tape or chalk symbols positioned around the mirrors, the work is both an experiential and interactive endeavor, fostering engagement between participants and sculptural/performance elements for external observers. In public settings, the tension between those moving and those standing still—physically or mentally—is palpable.