The Mathematics of Consciousness is a video projection piece by Charles Atlas,shown at Pioneer Works.
I went into the theater after reading the artist's statement, curious to see what Atlas had to say about the
science of perception and the human mind. The projection was a mix of video footage and computer
motion graphics, displayed on the large brick wall of the warehouse. Windows acted as frames for smaller
video clips within the projection. Narration explained how human perception is the result of chemical
reactions in the brain; how memory is the product of neurons firing in the brain; and how what we perceive
to be real is dependent on what we collectively decide is real. These concepts were a backdrop for videos
of dances and performances, some of which were taken from TikTok. The piece asks the viewer to
question what exactly they are seeing, but it is also careful to not provide any concrete answer. We as the
audience have to do the mental work of piecing everything together, and our conclusions are a reflection of
our own perceptions. Altas’ work feels absurdist and existentialist and it sticks with me. The scale of the
projection dwarfs the viewer, but the conceptual core of the piece dwarfs the ego.
I appreciate your points about the narrative feeling a bit convoluted. I also felt myself trying to connect the dots between visuals but found myself drawing a blank. What do you think about the purpose behind the repeats of images in each window of the piece? I feel like there is something there to be discussed but I don't necessarily know what. At the end of your preview, I feel like you flip flop between convincing the reader of Atlas' ideas and critiquing them. Maybe revise these sentences :"perhaps there is commentary being made on the way social media is influencing the way we perceive things, but the piece really lacks any concrete statement on anything it purports to be about. Perhaps the point is simply to show a cacophony of visuals and sounds and let the viewers perception of the piece inform the meaning, in which case The Mathematics of Consciousness is actually a meta-analysis of consciousness and perception rather than a prescriptive statement on either topic" and try to include both of those points in one statement.
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