Sightings – Close Encounters with Remote and Wandering Selves

Sightings of Selves in Fields

No longer an aspiring painter, I was left with a body and a still camera. What shall I do with them? I was wandering in a deserted field near some ruined houses that became the reflection of my straying thoughts. Then, I saw it. I wasn't sure if it was a 'he' or a 'she' but it appeared human.

A figure wrapped in transparent sheets as if just landed from elsewhere. I placed the camera at a safe distance and repositioned my body under the plastic sheets. Becoming a witness and the witnessed, a combination of selves, I was wondering what will happen next. How will my self react when that other self will open her/his eyes? With some hesitation, I decided to step closer to the lying figure, which began to move, slowly focusing my gaze towards the face. The eyes never opened. Our selves remained remote.

Moving backwards, the sighting began to disappear and the vision gradually dissolved, though I kept a trace of it in the negative of the encounter, which became the positive image. Still, the witness without the witnessed is forever missing the wandering selves, which remain beyond reach.

The wanderer in the field walked away.

This is the second blog post in the series My Journey Towards Cybernetic Futures, which includes texts and images from and about Dr Lila Moore's multimedia performances, videos and early works. Each blog post in this series will offer you more insights of her creative practice, theoretical writings and experience as educator/lecturer.