Beyond Agog
A film by Linda Loh
Fleeting encounters and shifting views present precarious moments of clarity between the elusive and ephemeral realms.
‘Beyond Agog’ is a video derived from the artist’s virtual reality project ‘Agog’ (2021), an exploratory experience in a sublime space with luminous and colour-saturated structures towering above and around, with various perceptual phenomena and sound to explore and encounter.
The works connect to the artist’s research into Neoplatonism and the sublime. Neoplatonism is a lesser-known corner of ancient philosophy, yet one that has influenced both (so-called) Eastern and Western traditions. Research into Neoplatonism and the sublime validates that Western culture has, despite appearances, long recognized ineffable experiences as an intrinsic part of human psychology. That acquaintance with these experiences could shift consciousness and transform innate behaviour towards the “good” is both culturally relevant and timely.
Director Statement
I am preoccupied by ideas around light-based phenomena. I’m curious about the relationship of light to altered states of consciousness, sensations of boundarylessness and infinity, and whether representation of things elusive and ephemeral can be a metaphor for experiences of transcendence. Digital media and projections are themselves like the slippery nature of mind.
Using digital tools, I distort and transform photographs and videos that mostly originate from everyday sources of light. The results are abstract composites of indeterminate forms, perhaps slow moving, often colorful, and usually retaining their inherent luminosity. Little is obvious for the rational mind to grasp.
I relate my work to the “technological sublime”, an extension of the romantic sublime period of art history, which has themes of awe and wonder. Expanding this, I recently researched Neoplatonism, a lesser known corner of ancient philosophy, yet one that has influenced both Eastern and Western traditions. I was rewarded to unveil many of the above themes. It is validating that Western culture has, after all, long recognised ineffable experiences as an intrinsic part of human psychology. That these ideas might be re-emerging feels like a fitting conversation to participate in while I navigate this luminous, numinous digital space.
