An Exhibition Ponders Technology’s Grip on Human “Reality”
Organized by artist John Mack and his not-for-profit Life Calling Initiative, “A Species Between Worlds” explores the physical and digital landscapes around us.
By Jack Meyer
September 1, 2022
5 minute read
- Share:
In 2016, a stampede of people flooded the streets of Taipei, stopping garbage trucks and buses in the wake of their single-minded pursuit. What unified so many to disrupt the rhythms of everyday life couldn’t be seen by anyone outside of the crowd, because it wasn’t anywhere “outside” for them to see. The answer rested in the smart devices of the procession’s members, leading them on through the popular Pokémon Go app, a game that—this should seem obvious now that we’re in 2022—lets users look at an augmented world through their phone’s camera, overlaying reality with virtual Pokémon to be discovered (in the case of the Taipei crowd, an ultra-rare Snorlax).