The World of Irreversible Change resembles the format of historic Japanese screens such as Scenes in and Around Kyoto (Rakuchu Rakugai-zu), which presents a birds-eye view of the ancient capital city with major buildings and thoroughfares that are bustling with life. Viewers’ actions affect the artworld of a virtual city that is both somewhere in time and here and now and influence the behaviors of the people in it. Although its inhabitants may become agitated and cause destruction, regrowth of the virtual environment continues eternally, albeit forever changed.
Presented across six monitors, the artwork changes in real-time with the seasons, weather, and the time of day of its location. The artworks bring forward concepts including digital vs. analog, the recontextualization of art historical precedents, collective creativity, and humanity’s relationship to the environment.