The Totem Series is an artistic exploration that delves into the transitory essence of human existence. Rather than implying any dark undertones, it serves as a contemplative prompt, encouraging us to reflect on the fleeting nature of our time, and the enduring impact of what we create within it. It draws inspiration from the timeless adage, "Ars longa, Vita brevis", a reminder that while life may be brief, what we create reverberates through time.

Simultaneously, this project scrutinizes the interplay between tangible and virtual reality. Traditionally, Totems have been three-dimensional sculptures, symbols of spiritual and cultural narratives. However, in this series, these boundaries are deliberately blurred, initiating a discourse on the evolving significance of digital sculptures in the present and future landscapes of art.

PIECES

The piece "Sakura Totem" presents a branch of transient Cherry blossoms burgeoning amidst massive and coarse rock boulders. 'Sakura', the Japanese term for cherry blossoms, symbolizes the fleeting nature of human existence within Japanese culture, as these ethereal flowers bloom but for a fleeting fortnight annually. Their ephemeral beauty is celebrated across many spring festivals, with the tradition of Hanami - picnicking beneath the bloom-laden trees - a cultural touchstone in Japan.

In this piece, the Sakura flowers embody human life in its beautiful, yet transient, existence. The juxtaposed rugged rocks symbolize the trials and hurdles we encounter in life's journey. The rocks beneath signify the adversities we have successfully overcome, while those above represent potential future obstacles. Yet, the Sakura blooms stand steadfast, as the resilience of the human spirit, reminding us that we possess the strength to navigate future challenges and progress onward.

The piece "Future Totem" invites us to examine human existence from a broader historical context. As humans, we often view life through the lens of a few generations past and future, but in geological or astronomical terms, our time on Earth is but a fleeting moment. With a global average life expectancy of 74 years, a single human life is evanescent in the cosmic timeline.

“Future Totem" expands this perspective, juxtaposing humans with other species we've cohabited Earth with or will possibly encounter. It references the triceratops, which roamed the Earth 65 million years ago, and a highly advanced, albeit obsolete, humanoid robot; a symbol of a distant, yet transitory, future. By placing humans within this expanded timeline, this piece explores a wider vantage point of our transient presence amidst an ever-evolving continuum of life.

METHOD

The Totem series adopts an innovative approach to found object art or Readymades, every object within the pieces (excluding the robot head) exists in the real world and has been carefully scanned using photogrammetry. This technique involves photographing an object from multiple angles and digitally reconstructing it into an exact three-dimensional replica in the virtual realm.

After locating and selecting appropriate objects for each piece, they were then meticulously arranged to provide meaning, structure, and a clear aesthetic to the digital composition. The next step involved digitally mimicking a photo studio's lighting process. Virtual lights illuminate the 3d objects and cast shadows, accentuating their characteristic volumes through three-point lighting. The chosen lighting scheme evokes a mood akin to traditional "Vanitas" or "Memento Mori" paintings, where the ephemerality of life is also a central theme, further reinforcing the project's exploration of life's transience.

MEDIUMS

The Totem Series offers a multi-dimensional experience across various mediums and formats. It includes large-scale art prints, an Augmented Reality (AR) app that interacts with the prints to reveal the 3D totems in the viewer's real-world context, and a two-minute video loop showcasing each Totem in a slow rotation.

The AR app is particularly impactful, as it brings the objects full circle — beginning as tangible objects, transformed into digital artifacts, and reintroduced into real-world surroundings through Spatial Computing. This transformative journey not only opens a dialogue around the concept of digital sculptures but also encapsulates the project's exploration of the interplay between reality and the digital realm, and the transience and continuity of life.

MODEL CREDITS

FUTURE:

UWYMV:Bird 1342, Aquila chrysaetos - Skull" (https://skfb.ly/6VCNM ) by University of Wyoming Libraries is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"Domestic Cat skull" (https://skfb.ly/o7rPB ) by RISD Nature Lab is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"Rank 3 Police Unit" (https://skfb.ly/6A7UX ) by nikvili is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"Ursidae (Bear) Skull" (https://skfb.ly/KLKZ ) by Abby Gancz is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"kobanian skull (800 BC)" (https://skfb.ly/CIF8 ) by kantemrati is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

"Triceratops skull" (https://skfb.ly/EDnI ) by Versal is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"UWYMV:5840, Crocuta crocuta, skull" (https://skfb.ly/6X9PD ) by University of Wyoming Libraries is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

SAKURA:

1."Moss Rock 06 (Free) Rock Pack Vol.1" (https://skfb.ly/6ZAsJ ) by Kless Gyzen is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"Granite rock yellowish brown" (

https://skfb.ly/6tyVu ) by 3dhdscan is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

3."桜ソメイヨシノ Sakura Cherry Blossom" (https://skfb.ly/otM7U ) by ffish.asia / http://floraZia.com is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

"Moss rock 01 Rock Pack Vol.1" (https://skfb.ly/onE7q ) by Kless Gyzen is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

5."Allosaurus Bone Fragment" (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/allosaurus-bone-fragment-774b2c2833cb4acf83251f38c71cc056 ) by nash808 (https://sketchfab.com/nash808) licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

6."Rock Scan - 15" (https://skfb.ly/ouu6U ) by Loïc Norgeot is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

7."Granite rock yellowish brown" (https://skfb.ly/6tyVu ) by 3dhdscan is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

AR EXPERIENCE:

This work is based on "Cherry Blossoms" (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/cherry-blossoms-9d1dda78f1524c33b749015f21c0b845) by Nommoc (https://sketchfab.com/kikumi) licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)