“About Intimacy” is an expanded research that looks into the implication of technology on our perception of feelings, trying to detect the constantly morphing definition of intimacy in a time where feelings are commodified heavily through technological means, gadgets, devices, and mobile apps.
The research and its different attempts do not just look into the perceptual shift of the meaning of intimacy between individuals/users but also attempt to decode the institutional presence shadowing the intimate processes carried out by these individuals/users in the cloud through its servers and data hubs.
The research focuses on the hegemonic presence of the colossal corporates controlling the internet, the impact of this virtual space over the physical one, and the hyper-segmentation and monetization of reality, where desires and intimate gestures are intercepted and hijacked by third-party cookies. Transforming everything it can reach into an asset to be stored, categorized, analyzed, and marketed.
Besides its socio-political aspect, the research looks into the psychological dimension of this rigorous transformation we are experiencing. How do we define our relationships? And where do we seek comfort and shelter from the swift pressuring rhythm surrounding us? And attempt to investigate how we initiate human-to-human communication channels?
Also, how do we consume and get consumed by the system? And how do we attempt to deflect some of the damage we receive from others onto others?
multimedia sculpture (2020)
single-channel video/4-channel surround sound, 55” vertical LED screen, 4 medium-sized speakers, XLR cables & electricity cords.9:05 min./loop, dimension variable.
A dwelling between the withdrawal of the body and the leaking of its ephemeral presence.
This work meditates on the increasing state of opposition/contradiction in our daily life through technology, where the constant reproduction of ourselves is a symptom of our contemporary modes of consumption that render realities into an infinite simulation of representations.
The work attempts to question the notion of intimacy in conjunction with hyper-modes of online persona making and time/memory disruption.
web-based project/interactive website (2020 - 2022)
On the commodification of feelings as a signature product of cyberspace nowadays. How does the machine speak to us as the mediator or the promoter of feelings? And what kind of vocabulary is being used in this process of commodification? Through a click-through advert-like accompanied with a short sound composition, this first iteration of the work attempts to engage with the perceptual shift in our understanding and handling of intimacy in the age of virtual communications.
This project was conceived as part of Internet of Things: Another World is Possible , an exhibition project facilitating a collective inquiry from (and through) the quarantine. Organized by Darat Al Funun (Amman).Explore the locally hosted version on my website here:
https://www.omaradel.com/hint-hint/can-you-hear-me
audio/visual performance (2023)
An audio/visual dwelling on the cruel poetics of contradictions, as the corporeal self seeks solace in distant retreats while its ephemeral presence seeps through personas and cracks of perception. An infinite loop of self-reproduction unfolds, a cruel yet delicate act of leaving behind one vessel to embrace the digital blue. Here, time and memory intertwine, disrupted, and reshaped as we grapple with the enigmatic paradoxes. Our realities, once grounded, now dissolve into infinite simulations where representations reign supreme.
sound installation (2024)
5.1 sound system, LED multicolored lighting in a white dark room.
Duration 5 min, dimension variable.
A spoken words/eerie poem performative sound piece on intimacy in the digital sphere.The work reflects on the commodification of feelings and the contradictory semiotics of the hyperreality we navigate while shifting between melancholy, impersonation, and online persona-making.
