Mena El Shazly's MFA Defence: Hyperopia

Thursday, December 7, 2023 | 1:00 PM
Room 4390 – Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 W. Hastings St., Vancouver

Hyperopia is inspired by the Crystalist artist movement in Sudan, whose 1976 manifesto states, “The crystal is nothing but the denial of the objectification of objects. It is infinite transparency.” Adopting the movement’s intent to undo contradictions between semblance and essence, the project examines the value of image decay. Utilizing matrix-based media, namely the pixel screen, patterns are exposed and recycled. The microscopic and macroscopic nature of things is shown through repetitive and indulgent scrolling, zooming, clicking and swiping, revealing cyclical fractions of patterns and infinite extensions. The work is dense with second-hand images (and third-hand images, etc.), glitch and compression techniques, and the use of the color blue. While in the analog circuit blue means no signal, it “has great potential in showing internal dimensions and depths”, and therefore “has the ability to create a Crystalist vision.” The work consists of a gallery installation and a live cinema screening.