Rachel Rossin: The Maw Of

Rachel Rossin’s The Maw Of is a transmedia narrative, reflecting the ways in which our bodies and minds are merging with and altered by technology. Central to the animation is a ghostly female figure, rendered in the style of Japanese manga, who wanders through a landscape of layered interfaces, symbols, and codes associated with technological and organic systems. Elements from whitney.org are combined with a graph of the nervous system and a web console exposing data operations; parental guidance alerts give way to infrared imagery used for target acquisition in military operations. An on-screen QR code allows viewers to launch the augmented-reality (AR) component of the work and experience another narrative layer on their mobile devices. Synced with the browser-based animation, the AR layer adds textual commentary and transports the anime figure out of the browser window and onto the viewer’s phone or tablet.

In The Maw Of, Rossin takes current research into brain-computer interfaces as a starting point to explore the historical development of the relationship between bodies and machines. The artist highlights how technology has evolved from its function as an extension of the body, enhancing its abilities, to more profound and invasive levels. Rossin makes these developments palpable by weaving together visuals that capture an array of technological platforms in an experience mediated by screens, blurring the boundaries between digital and physical.

The web component of The Maw Of is co-commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art and KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin.

Viewers can use the QR code appearing in the browser to launch the augmented reality component of the work on their mobile device.