P02 GHOSTS OF THE PAST
‘GhostsOfThePast' is a location-specific ghost art installation that uses augmented reality technology to anchor a digital collage made up of 3D scans of handmade embroidery, paper sculptures, ready-made objects of affection and digital design elements inside the Tate Modern. Visitors can use their smartphones or tablets to access the augmented reality installation and explore the work as they walk around in the building.
The installation centres on Shahwali's own identity and self-exploration based on his autoethnographic research - drawing on themes of Dada, memory vs. counter-memory, fragmentation, ready-made art, and subversion. He wanted to challenge and question traditional notions of art and identity as well as structures that exist in our society. Through his use of augmented reality, Shahwali invites visitors to engage with his work innovatively, encouraging them to consider their own relationship to the art world and their place within it.
At the same time, the installation is deeply rooted in Shahwali's own personal experiences and heritage as a Pakistani artist. It takes into account his South Asian identity, longing, nostalgia, childhood and migration to explore the cultural and personal experiences that shape his work. His installation visually explores the idea of fragmentation of one’s identity through his use of digital media and autoethnographic research. Shahwali encourages viewers to think about the ways in which the decolonisation of art can open up new possibilities for self-expression and representation.
'GhostsOfThePast' further invites viewers to question how art and identity intersect in the digital age.
What is a Ghost Exhibition?
A ghost exhibition is an art exhibition that is created using augmented reality (AR) technology. In a ghost exhibition, the artwork is not physically present in the exhibition space, but rather is created and displayed using AR technology. This allows viewers to experience the art in a virtual space, and to interact with it in a more immersive and dynamic way.
P02/CH01 → TATE MODERN, LONDON
CH001 → TATE MODERN LONDO
‘Ghosts of the Past’ showreel and process film
Ghosts of the Past 3D Renders from Lens Studio (AR Software powered by Snapchat)
On site video recordings inside the Turbine Hall in Tate Modern (London).
Snapchat view of the AR installation
Making the moss embroidery that was the 3D scanned and added to the AR installation. The moss represented a visual dialogue between society and myself and pays homage to the Urdu saying above. Moss grows out of darkness and in cold and wet places - it represents resistance. It can represent decay or it can represent life, where nature reoccupies and nature inherently reclaims constructs built by humans.
Pakistan's national flower is ‘Jasmine’ or Champa and a flower that reminds me of childhood. I 3D-scanned these flowers and included them in the AR installation.
3D scanning hand-made moss embroidery using a smartphone
Using VR to 3D model and to translate choregraphy into visual digital assets that were then later used in the AR installation