Concept title “THE LAST SUPPER”
COVID-19 >> This could be humanities END.
My most recent visit to the NGV involved a quest to discover an artwork to be utilised for an augmented reality project. I happened across an artwork titled “The Last Supper, panel” (c.1880), my initial response to which was quite emotional. Having grown up in a Greek Orthodox family, religious iconography was prevalent throughout my family home and given that I have not seen my family in almost nine years, I was almost overwhelmed by a profound feeling of homesickness and nostalgia. This poignant moment was the genesis of my concept for my AR project. Missing my family whilst witnessing the rapidly escalating coronavirus pandemic, I quickly became frightened that I might not be able to get back to them or even see them again. My priorities shifted and reordered as I became frustrated and agitated at a world gone mad. I felt painfully disappointed in humanity and the immense destruction we have inflicted upon the planet and that everything, other than being physically and mentally healthy, was pointless.
We are facing incredibly hard times, and many people are turning to religion, possibly for the first time, as a desperate show of faith. Followers with a fervent need to believe in something, to believe that we might survive, to clutch at an idea of a deity or a prophet which might be more powerful than COVID - 19. We've also experienced the darker side of humanity; hoarding, panic buying, brawling over toilet paper, violent displays of aggression and intolerance, news reports of Asian immigrants being assaulted purely based on racial profiling and the notion that they are responsible for, and carriers of, COVID - 19. This reflects a lack of faith and ceremony. I watch in horror as certain humans are exposed as greedy and entitled, without empathy or compassion. Now is the time for solidarity, not being self-serving and predatory.
COVID - 19 feels to me, and many others, that Mother Nature is finally pushing back. We are suffering the consequences of globalisation, corporate greed and animal exploitation.
My AR project titled The Last Supper will serve as a portal into the current global crisis. My idea is that historically people have turned to religious iconography as a means of comfort or faith, but in this instance, they will be forced to face the reality of their current circumstances. I believe this to be unique in that it subverts the expectations implicit in faith-based practices.
The current global crisis will be seen through a Biblical lens with reference to the following:
4. Plague of locusts (Saudi Arabia)
5. Pestilence (Global - COVID-19).
The events/issues above will be explored and revealed through the use of videos and kinetic typography.
The Last Supper will ideally serve as a wake-up call for the viewer, forcing them to engage with the notion that; "You've made your bed, now lie in it".
