Zak Kalivas
Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design
CTRL+C
Time-Based Forms
Photoshop and Final Cut Pro
My body of work, a six-minute experimental video, takes the traditional Greek myth of Narcissus into a futuristic context. It critiques contemporary society and our values in relation to human connections, relationships and the universal human experience of Love. CTRL+C follows the story of a protagonist searching to find their perfect love in a virtual world. However, what happens if your perfect match is a better version of yourself – what if it is a digital clone of yourself? The storyline uses metaphor to criticise the significance of 'human relationships' in a world of moral decay.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists and works: Caravaggio, Narcissus; Nicolas Poussin, Echo and Narcissus; Ovid, Narcissus and Echo.
Marker's Commentary
CTRL+C cleverly synthesises art history iconography with a dramatic cinematic narrative. The concept of identity, vanity and death operate as key symbols within this techno-noir film. The sophisticated amalgamation of the Baroque painting Narcissus by Caravaggio with the personalised motif of ‘echo’. Through the VR experience the body of work explores the interplay of visual and mythological motifs. Beauty and desire clash and culminate in the death of the protagonist, driving a contemporary parallel of virtual reality with Greek mythology. There is highly refined technical prowess evident in the post-production, as a range of filmic troupes are used to differentiate between the real and virtual world. The conceptualisation, composition and genre treatment possibly derive or reference historical and contemporary filmmakers. Knowledge of filmic conventions, an understanding of love in a digital age and post-production expertise have allowed for the construction a compelling narrative that effectively merges the virtual and real world.
