Ritual, 2020
Theo Triantafyllidis
Live Simulation

An undisclosed location. Dry land under a scorching sun. Something abominable has happened here in recent memory. Now a ritual is taking place. The remains of what was once human are flickering in darkness. Nature is reclaiming what is hers. She is savage and unforgiving. She is laughing at us. Her sinister laughter echoes in the emptiness.

“Ritual” is a multi-channel live simulation piece. It takes place in a familiar location, sourced from a Game Engine demo. The location is a combination of a 3D scanned physical location and components created by a special effects studio through the iterative process of 2D concept design to 3D photoreal asset production. This designed environment is decontextualized and re-appropriated as a ready-made. Seeing this hybrid environment without its original functionality, the artist intervenes on it with a series of gestures that span all scales, from land-art to miniature sculpture. Finally an ecosystem of new inhabitants, including a couple of mean hyenas, racing crows on Bird™ scooters and an ant colony, are set free to roam and respond to this fabricated landscape. Like a mysterious ritual, sometimes humorous, other ominous and ruthless, this ecosystem is continuously producing unexpected connections and results.