[ISEA2017] Artist Statement: Jing Zhou — Through the Aleph: A Glimpse of the World in Real Time  

Artist Statement 

NET ART  

Through the Aleph* is a net art project offering an unprecedented interactive and visual experience where many places on Earth and in space can be seen simultaneously in an instant. It visualizes the diversity of human civilizations (microcosm) and the unity of humanity without borders in the ever- changing universe (macrocosm); it draws the connections between individuals and the global environment, Earth and outer space, eternity and time, and art and science. With an unexpected approach to surveillance cameras and global networks this meditative web project uses live data to create an abstract landscape in an open source environment. It not only embraces the dream of peace on Earth but also explores the bond between humankind and nature through time and space in the present moment. *The project title was inspired by two great literary works—“The Aleph” and “Through the Looking- Glass.” Perhaps the computer screen is our modern day looking-glass, and we are all Alice as we peer through our screens at an alternate reality.

  • Jing Zhou, Associate Professor, Monmouth University, New Jersey, USA    jingzhoustudio.net