The Preservation of a Sacred Deer
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MediumTaxidermy & 3D Hologram
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Year2019
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ExhibitedSawyer Silos, Houston
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Website
About
"The Preservation of a Sacred Deer" is a profound mixed-media installation by conceptual artist SINTRON. The artwork juxtaposes an animated 3D holographic deer with two lifeless taxidermy deer heads. The ethereal hologram, with a semblance of life, starkly contrasts the static reality of the deceased deer, exploring the dichotomy between life and death, biological and digital, natural and artificial. Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology and modern narratives, this piece invites viewers to contemplate the implications of technology on the preservation and extension of life.
SINTRON's artwork is a vivid exploration of the evolving relationship between biological life and its digital counterpart. It stands as a metaphor for a new kind of life—a digital one, devoid of biological constraints yet infused with a semblance of soul, consciousness, or self-awareness. The holographic deer's perpetual interaction with the audience and its surroundings enhances the immersive experience and underscores the evolving human-nature-technology relationship.
The piece leverages 3D hologram technology to represent the rapid progression of technology, serving as an examination of its implications on life, death, and the soul. The work resonates with the viewers by forcing them to confront the paradox of life preservation through technology.
The Vision
Drawing parallels with Yorgos Lanthimos' film "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," SINTRON delves into the dynamics of life and death, sacrifice and preservation, natural and artificial. The artwork, akin to the film, presents an unsettling coexistence of life and death. However, unlike the film, which revolves around the forced choice between life and death, the artwork presents a possibility of life extension through technology, an existential choice that is possibly no longer in our control.
The artwork also takes inspiration from the Greek myth of Iphigenia. The taxidermy deer heads symbolize Agamemnon's transgression—killing the sacred—while the holographic deer represents both the sacred deer and Iphigenia. The hologram, in its untouchable form, captures the essence of life beyond the biological, possibly in the realm of the digital. This aspect emphasizes the artwork's exploration of the transition of the soul from the biological to the technological.
The notion that the soul is like a hologram lends another layer of depth to the artwork. The holographic deer becomes a symbol of a soul preserved and sustained via technological means, questioning the boundaries between life and death, biological and digital.
A Shift in Hierarchy
The artwork is a significant commentary on the relationship between technology, life, and death. It highlights the potential of technology to extend life while questioning the ethical implications of this advancement. The dominant holographic deer, in its perpetual motion while looking down at the audience, suggests a potential shift in the hierarchy of life—from the natural to the digital, reflecting on the implications of our increasingly digital world.
The holographic deer looking down upon its biological counterparts also raises questions about the nature of this transition. It suggests a potential loss, a surrendering of the biological to the technological. As we strive to preserve and extend life through technology, we must ponder whether we're creating a new form of 'soul' or merely creating a hollow echo of what once was.
In this way, SINTRON's artwork serves as a meditation on the potential of technology to carry or even create the 'soul', and the implications of such a transition. It questions the essence of life and consciousness and their place in an increasingly digital world.
