UNMUTE
UNBOUND HEART
2022
HD
LED screen
3168 x 2016 mm
Looped
animation

A feature in video games is the use of idle animations, which depict avatars performing various tasks, such as magical actions, that player characters revert to when not under the direct control of the game player. The central figure in this series of idling avatars is transgender model Valentijn de Hingh. Updating Haraway’s cyborg for the 21st century, the avatar serves as an icon for the post-human, where the human is always already entangled within more-than-human networks. Blending analog film and digital animation creates a hybrid space to explore contemporary forms of embodiment and materiality in our digital milieu.

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Director
Ursula Mayer
Performer
Valentijn de Hingh
Director of Photography
Albin Wildner
Gaffer
Johannes Höß
Costume
Iris van Herpen
Creative Director & Costume
Meg Andrew
Make-up
Isshehungry
Visual Effects & Post Production
effectHaus
VFX Supervisor, Effects Technical Director
Bernhard Eiser
Digital Compositor
Florian Grünberger
Commission for the 16th Istanbul Biennale with the support of Phileas, Vienna Austrian Cultural Forum, Istanbul