Bridging Worlds

What follows is a transcript of the talk I gave at the opening of my solo exhibition "Bridging Worlds" in the Spatial metaverse:

Welcome again everyone and thank you all for coming to this wonderful celebration.  My exhibition, “Bridging Worlds” opens today in the Maro Dori Sky Palace and can be viewed there for the months of April and May.  I invite you all to visit it. 

I would like to thank Maro Dori and Kojima for inviting me to exhibit in the Palace. I am especially excited to share that for today they are giving me the opportunity to share my exhibition with you in this newly opened space, Ambient Canvas. I am sure you will all agree how beautiful this space is.  Congratulations and Arigato.  

The posters that were up when we arrived have now been replaced with my artworks and I ask you to follow me there. 

We’re going to cross two bridges to get there and I ask that we go slowly, we go mindfully, we go in silence, I’ll lead the way and we think about the words “Bridging Worlds”. So let’s make our way there slowly.

Thank you all for crossing those bridges with me.  Let’s just wait for everybody to get here. 

I am going to share a few words about why I chose “Bridging Worlds” as the title for this exhibition. 

Firstly - those of you that have been there will know - the Maro Dori Sky Palace is truly an architectural wonder of the Spatial metaverse. It has many floating bridges connecting its various galleries so it was very important to me to include the word bridge in the title.

That’s the first reason.  And the second reason is I believe that entering the metaverse is like crossing a bridge from the physical world into the virtual world. When we cross this bridge we encounter people with different ideas, different opinions and worldviews. It’s almost like walking along one of the floating bridges in the Sky Palace - one never knows who one will meet there. 

If you look around you now, we have a number of people from Japan - Maro Dori, Kojima, Chibimaru, Michio and many others. I’m from Canada.  I see standing close to me Galleria Shubert, and  I think I saw Leonardo earlier.  They’re from Italy.  Shmerz is from Italy. I see Ira from the US, I think Meta Coach as well.  Little Madam, if I am not mistaken you’re from the UK. Teekay you’re from India. Am I missing any other countries? But already that’s quite a few countries that we have with us.  

Oh I’ve missed out Lisbet. She’s from South Africa. Yes 7plus is from Thailand, that’s right, and Lisbet you’re from South Africa. And at this point I’d like to give a shout out to Lisbet, because if you look at my dress, you will see that on my dress is one of the artworks in this exhibition.  So she has enabled me to wear my art.  Thanks very much Lisbet.

To illustrate further this idea of meeting all these different people in the metaverse, if you look at the artworks in the exhibition, you will notice that they are of people from different countries and cultures. You will be able to see this from what they are wearing,  but also I hope you’ll be able to see it from the energy that is coming  from them. 

Which brings me to what I do. I photograph energy. My artworks are created entirely on my iPhone. When I am out photographing I focus not so much on the people that I am seeing, but rather on the energy all around them. I capture this energy using a slow shutter technique on my iPhone. I then paint on my iPhone screen using my finger, after which I use various apps to create different textures and blends. So my iPhone art is a combination of photography, painting and digital manipulation.

Let’s move to this work called “Contemplation”.

I believe that art, just like architecture, is a bridge that is able to move one emotionally. But what we’ll see and how we’re moved is going to be different for each one of us. So what I’m doing today is not going to tell you what each artwork is about, but rather I’m going to give you some of the reasons I included the pieces in the exhibition, “Bridging Worlds’.

If you look at the artworks you’ll see that the figures appear to be standing still  but they also appear to be moving in a dimension beyond normal space and time. I am portraying stillness and movement happening at the same time. The figures are inviting us to be rooted, grounded, and mindful as we move through our busy lives and make use of all the technological tools at our disposal. 

If you look carefully there is not only stillness in movement. There also seems to be a movement into stillness.  It’s as if the figures are inviting us to cross a bridge from the busy world into the quiet world of contemplation.

The piece that I have moved to now is called “Inter-being”.  The word inter, i n t e r, a little hypen, and then being. 

As we start reflecting and contemplating, we start to realize that we’re all interconnected - not only with one another but with all of life.   The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn came up with this term inter-being. When I look at the two ladies, I see there is something joining them down at the bottom and even the hyphen in the word is reminding us of a bridge and reminding us of all these ways that we’re connected to each other. I sometimes think that there are all these little bridges between us but we can’t see them until we realize how interconnected we truly are.

I was born in South Africa and there we have a philosophy called “Ubuntu”. I don’t know if you have heard of it before. Ubuntu - I am because you are. I am because you are, and this also speaks to the fact that we are all connected.

Archbishop Tutu, who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa in 1996 after the end of apartheid, said that we all think about ourselves as being just individuals, that we are separate from one another. But he says you are connected and what you do affects the whole world.

Those words are very powerful for me, and when I use modern technology to create and send out my iPhone artworks into borderless realms, I always try to keep these words very close to my heart.

We’re in a space called Ambient Canvas. The word ambient refers to an aspect of the environment that completely surrounds us in a very gentle way.  Today we’re surrounded by a canvas of art, so I’m going to ask you to move with me to the next set of artworks on the other side. 

When I look at the woman in the artwork, she appears to me to be from Africa, but the word "Yutori" is a Japanese word that refers to spaciousness.  

It’s an invitation to move through life very slowly, while we stop along the way to enjoy all the small things that we encounter. So for me again there’s the bridge concept - we’re moving from busyness to living life slowly.

It’s also an invitation to make space in our hearts, and to hold space in our hearts for those that we think are different to ourselves.  

The more we begin to do that, the more we realize how alike we all are. The artworks featuring people from different cultures and from all walks of life are really a reminder of our common humanity. We all want to be happy, we all want to be loved, we all want to take care of our families.  We all go to sleep at night and we all wake up in the morning. 

I’m going to move to the piece called "Transformation".

The rise of the internet and the Information age enabled us to learn about people from different cultures who had different religions, different nationalities and different ways of doing things.  And I think that because these people seemed different to ourselves, it was easy to see them as ‘the other”. And I think if you look around us in the world right now, all the problems that we are seeing are because we see people as “the other”. 

But we’ve left the Information age. We’re not in the Information age anymore, with its huge sense of overload. We’ve moved to the Transformation age.  We are going to need to transform if we are to make our way through all the crises we are facing in the world around us at this moment in time.

And this is what is important for me.  I believe that the Metaverse is going to  play a huge role in the Transformation age. I no longer am simply learning about someone, I am actually going to get to meet them and to know them in an immersive environment. 

So again there’s this bridge idea - from learning about to meeting and knowing.

The metaverse is truly changing the world by dissolving physical barriers. This will enable intercultural connection and collaboration on a scale unheard of before.

The artwork “Transformation” is a call to value our interactions with others with the same intensity that we seek to interact with the technological tools at our disposal.

As you walk through the exhibition, I ask you to please note that each figure is inviting you to walk in their shoes and to see the world through their eyes.  Each figure is also inviting you to cross a bridge and see the story and the world that is waiting to unfold for you. 

Portals in the Metaverse

Cyberspace as we know it is evolving.  The next step in its evolution, which we are already beginning to get a taste of, is an immersive cyberspace, more commonly referred to as the Metaverse. 

When we first had access to internet there were only static pages that focused on information.  This was called Web 1.  Web 2, centred on user-created content uploaded to services such as blogs, forums and social media, is all about interaction.  Web 3 will be about immersion. 

Whereas we browsed the internet before, we will soon be immersed in it and be, in a sense, able to live in it as digital avatars in a 3D space.  Headsets will enable full immersion.

Immersion ©Linda Hollier

Examples of immersive tasks will include gathering with friends remotely, working with work colleagues collaboratively, and co-experiencing virtual events such as concerts. Many functions of life will move into virtual environments.  Shopping and virtual travel will be available with an accompanying economy.   

We started to experience some of these possibilities with Zoom during the pandemic, but what was missing in this 2D experience on screens was the networking experience that accompanies in-person events.  This will be able to be replicated in a 3D immersive world.

I have recently joined Spatial, a metaverse with visually stunning, immersive 3D spaces.  It  has enabled me to customize my own virtual gallery and event space and host live events, all of which at this point in time can be experienced via smartphone, laptop or a Meta Quest headset.

To navigate the metaverse, we are already hearing about and experiencing the “portal”.  One moves between spaces and so one requires a way to do so.  

 Stepping through ©Linda Hollier

Currently, by clicking on a portal one exits a space and enters another instantaneously.  One is reminded of teleportation where one is transported across space and distance instantly.  In the metaverse, a portal is opened, one’s avatar passes through, and there is fluid spatial switching.  

Let us consider the choice of using the word “portal”. 

In architecture the portal, whether it be a gateway or a doorway, is a space which is framed to call attention to spatial transition,  In the 14th century,  it referred to “the entire architectural treatment of the entrance and its surroundings of a cathedral or other grand building”.  The structural elements alluded to something of high significance behind them.  

Portal, from the Latin “porta” meaning “gate” and the Latin “portare” meaning “to carry” is also often used to mean a gateway to a realm in another dimension, another plane of existence. 

The portal symbolizes spatial transition and has the characteristics of both a special place and a path.

 Threshold ©Linda Hollier

Most importantly, a portal implies a threshold - a significant instance or point which invokes or encourages a shift of perception before one goes forward. 

Those of you who know me are aware of my interest in the architecture of cyberspace.  

How will portals in the metaverse be depicted? We are already seeing circular forms. Will they eventually be so designed that they will be able to teleport our digital avatars not only from one space in a metaverse to another, but also from one metaverse to another when there are what is being referred to as multiverses?  No doubt the portal will evolve until there is one possible omniverse.

My series titled “Navigating the Metaverse” is my current contribution to these new realms. 

Individual pieces can be purchased on OpenSea as NFTs.

The Journey

In 2022, the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival has as its theme “The Journey”.  As it is the 10th anniversary of the festival, which takes place as the UAE celebrates its 50th anniversary, this annual celebration of contemporary art reflects on the journey of the festival, Ras Al Khaimah and the United Arab Emirates, and encourages us to consider our relationship with space, time, and the self.   

The festival, which began in 2013 as a local festival, transitioned in 2019 to an international festival.  In 2019 it also became an outdoor festival when it moved to Al Jazirah Al Hamra Heritage Village.

I was privileged to visit Al Jazirah Al Hamra in February 2016 and saw archaeologists at work. The old fort was still in the process of being restored. The experience was amazing and I wrote about it at the time.

I visited the Ras Al Khaimah Arts Fine Arts Festival in its original format, but in 2019 we moved to Canada before I had experienced it in its new format and location. 

Following it online the wish to exhibit there grew, and when I saw the theme of this year’s festival, “The Journey”, I knew the time had come in my life’s journey to make the effort to realize this dream.  

My iPhoneart forms part of the up and coming Mobile Art Movement. The figures in my iPhone artworks, although rooted, appear to be moving in a dimension beyond normal space and time. We are invited to enter this space filled with mystery and potential to discover the journey waiting to unfold. This I felt, was most fitting for the theme.  

This theme of rootedness and movement is in part inspired by the stories of Bedouins. Journeying through the desert they were on the move, but when they stopped, their “centre of now” became the place they were at. 

My process involves an exploration of time, space, interconnectedness, rootedness and movement - parameters i term “here2here”. This too I felt was in keeping with the theme.  

The decision was made! As I pondered upon which works to submit, I was inspired to include works which depicted another theme that flows through my work - the traditional dress of the UAE and my observations of how the abaya, worn by women, changed in the years I lived in the region. A keen observer of culture, I noticed that the fashions women wore started to change over time and that the black abaya slowly began to be replaced by ones incorporating more color.  The abaya has made its own journey and has its own story to tell.  

The abaya is an outer cloak, the public dress, worn by women in many areas of the Arab world.  

In earlier times it was a large article of clothing worn draped off the head.  As time passed and this form became impractical for women as they went about their daily lives with all the demands of modern living, this traditional garment  evolved into a longer jacket, cape like form, which was more functional. These garments were originally black, and that was the format and color I encountered upon my arrival in the UAE in 2010. 

At this point in time many women wear the abaya but in a variety of colors, textures and textiles. As the UAE welcomed many different cultures into its midst, women found themselves in globalized settings. They have adapted their clothing style and their fashion to not only reflect their traditions at the same time as their individuality, but also to be functional for use in the era they find themselves living in.  

More detailed information about the evolution of the abaya can be found here,  courtesy of The Zay Initiative, founded by Dr Reem El Mutwalli.

I am very honoured and proud to report that two of my works were selected and are being exhibited in the desert in large format at this year’s Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival, which will be held from February 4 - March 31, 2022.  

 Change ©Linda Hollier

The woman in the artwork “Change” was one of the first women I saw wearing an abaya that was mainly white.  She certainly seemed to be moving in a different dimension to most others around her. As she confidently journeyed into the future she was certainly inviting others to follow her on this journey.

 Dissolving ©Linda Hollier

The stripes in the abaya in this artwork are moving but the woman appears to be confidently rooted.  Tradition and the future are apparent at the same time. 

This work was also projected onto 9 metre and 13 metre screens at The Equinox Experience in Santo Stefano Al Ponte in Florence in 2017.  That this piece journeys from a deconsecrated church in Italy to the desert of the UAE is in itself amazing to me.  

Both works were created entirely on my iPhone before being printed onto recycled wood. 

I intuitively captured the women in these works as I went about my day. The recycled wood reminds us of the importance of being grounded whilst the use of modern technology hints at movement.  The media used as well as the women in the work and what they are wearing remind us of the importance of our history as we journey into the future.   

Interviewed by Mario Uboldi Jewellery Art

In February 2017 I collaborated with and was interviewed by André Meyerhans of Mario Uboldi Jewellery Art. What follows is the interview which at the time was published on various social media platforms.

(Artwork photographed: Yellow Notice

Featured jewelry: Mashrabiya Collar)

What inspired you to create these artworks?

Shortly after I arrived in the Middle East I started a website “here2here” which promotes mindfulness as well as investigates cyberspace - the mindspace we find ourselves in when using technology to communicate.  “here2here” hints at mobility but also suggests that there is actually nowhere to go and that all is already as it should be. 

At about the same time, Downtown Dubai, where we were living at the time, launched a campaign entitled “The Centre of Now” to highlight the area as a hub of a global cultural movement. 

I have always been inspired by stories of bedouins, nomads who lived in the deserts. They embodied wandering and mobility and an awareness of the interconnectedness of life. For them immediate movement was always a probability and they knew what it was to have a centre which was always changing as they wandered through the borderless desert.

This is a century of mobility.  Many people today are global citizens on the move with means of connectivity and communication that boggle the mind.

Believing that we need to seek in newfound ways, as global nomads, the centre of now - the heart of the present moment - that the Bedouins were very aware of, I began to explore the concept of rootedness and movement occurring simultaneously and was inspired to depict this using the modern technology at hand; in my case, my iPhone. My love of photography and art had merged with my interest in technology.  

At first, I began to edit photos I had taken of architecture in Dubai. 

Shortly after I began experimenting with the app Slowshutter, I visited Istanbul and attended a Whirling Dervishes Sema Ceremony. This inspired me to try to figure out new ways of portraying the whole concept of rootedness and movement occurring simultaneously, through my artworks. 

I began to photograph people, focusing on the energy I sensed around them. The individuals in my artworks appear to be rooted in a moment but at the same time appear to be moving in an other-worldly realm which is beyond space and time.

 

(Artwork photographed: Mystery

Featured jewelry: Dot Bracelet)

What message would you like to give to the viewer / What feeling would you like to evoke in the observer?

I am of the opinion that true art takes the viewer beyond themselves and is so much more than mere technique. 

I find that most people are emotionally drawn to my artworks.  Perhaps this is because the thinking brain is initially confused, as viewers often find it hard to believe that the piece they are looking at has been created on an iPhone.

The artworks depict a space filled with mystery and potential and the viewer is invited to enter this space to discover the story waiting to unfold. This story differs from individual to individual.

 

(Artwork photographed: Trinity

Featured jewelry: Dot Bracelet)

You have a unique technique, please explain?

Using my iPhone, I intuitively capture images using slow-shutter photography.  I then transform these, blending and painting on my iPhone screen, achieving this with the aid of various apps. Much of my work is printed onto recycled wood which adds further texture, thereby making each piece unique.  The combination of iPhone artistry and recycled wood is a gentle reminder of the importance of remaining grounded even while enjoying the benefits of modern technology.  

 

(Artwork photographed: Releasing

Featured jewelry: Goldflake Collier)

Your logo is Arabic, your nationality is South African - please explain your motivation behind this and what impact it has on your audience?

As I explore many aspects of here2here on my website - both through the written word and through my artworks - my intention is to promote a shared vision of diversity within unity. 

A lover of culture, I find myself at this point in time in a region inhabited by so many different cultures, and this excites me.  I am born South African but am currently living in the Middle East.  My logo, which has my name written in English and Arabic, is I believe, a witness to both this and to my vision of diversity within unity. It fascinates viewers and evokes discussion. It raises the question “where is home?”, links back to the ideas surrounding ‘the centre of now”, and helps us all remember that we have more similarities than we have differences. 

 

(Artwork photographed: Direction)

You seem to have a mystic feel to your work - these here but also your earlier, more abstract and architectural ones - can you say something about it?

I grew up an avid reader and am curious by nature. My reading included much spiritual writing in many traditions. 

When I am out photographing I need to be very much in the moment. My photography flows out of my mindfulness practice but in a sense has become a practice itself. 

I am honored that you say my works have a mystic feel to them.

 

(Artwork photographed: Heart)

As mentioned, your earlier work goes more abstract with creating spaces - can you share your journey - why you went there?

I am a lover of architecture. When I first arrived in the Middle East I began photographing and posting on Instagram the architecture found in Dubai. 

Interested in exploring the architecture of cyberspace, I began experimenting with various apps to create a series I called “Digital Archways”.   Later, in an attempt to express visually the experience of cyberspace using the very tools found there, I edited photos of mainly Dubai architecture to create the series entitled “Corridors of Cyberspace”.  Some of these earlier works are currently being exhibited in Venice in an exhibition called “Future Landscapes”.  

When creating them, it was also my wish that they would be a reminder of the importance of our own inner landscapes and encourage exploration of them.  

 

(Artwork photographed: Trinity)

…. and where are you heading from here … can you share your intentions- even if they are very vague?

My #interact2connect series printed onto Ethiopian prayer shawls is bringing interesting connections. 

At home and on my travels, I have been meeting many interesting artists. Further collaborations are certainly possible. 

I have recently incorporated augmented reality into some of my artworks and am eager to explore 3D printing.

I continue to be open to what wants to flow into being.   

(Artwork photographed: Noor)

Why did you look for a collaboration like this …. and why jewelry?

I have wanted to be part of a collaborative project for some time now.  There was no special reason I chose jewelry. While away in Thailand on a fasting retreat I woke up one morning with the thought “Ask André if his jewelry could be photographed with your art”.  Before I could think too much about it and perhaps hesitate, I acted upon it. André said yes and this collaboration was set into motion. 

 

You have deformed photos that depict jewelry integrated into your paintings - please share your thoughts on this intervention.

In Japanese calligraphy there is a symbol called an ensō. It means circle and is often referred to as an “expression of the moment”. As a form of spiritual practice, many artists practice drawing an ensō daily.  I often wondered if it is possible to practice this in photographic form, and for a period of time began incorporating the circle in my edits with this in mind. 

André photographed the jewelry on my artworks but thought the resulting images needed more depth and a stronger story line. When I intuitively worked with his photographs, the circle returned.

His jewelry is certainly an expression of the culture and surroundings he finds himself in and I believe this very fact adds to its beauty.  

 

Great collaboration with artist Linda Hollier where stories are told and retold - like in “Chinese Whisper” - and new things evolve. Enjoy!

(Featured jewelry: Mashrabiya ring)

A famous Swiss Author, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, wrote a book called: The Assignment - or - On the Observing of the Observer of the Observers. Similar to what is suggested in the subtitle, artist Linda Hollier and our team present to you the above work which is a creation of a creation of a creation. This alternating, overwriting approach frees unseen elements and bring them to attention - similar to in the book by Dürrenmatt. Enjoy!

Related articles:

Collaboration with Mario Uboldi Jewellery

MPA Awards, 10th Edition

"Uncertainty"  ©Linda Hollier

I am honored and delighted to have received four honorable mentions in the 10th edition of the Mobile Photography and Art Awards - two in the Digital Fine Art category and two in the Visual FX category.

The MPA Awards is the longest running international competition for Mobile Art and Photograhy and is one of the most prestigious - if not the most prestigious - mobile photography and art competitions.  

I am very grateful to Daniel Berman and all the jurors.