Once I Had A Soul

Once I Had A Soul, by Shankar Saanthakumar and Anguanatatu (Veronica Merlo), borrows concepts from Hindu art around the cycle of life then fuses them with contemporary ideas around non-human embodied intelligence in computational systems. The result is a speculation on how post-human societies may narrate their own origin stories to their offspring.

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Shankar was particularly interested in the study of folds in embryonic growth, and how these can be morphed across bronze casting, paint, and computational abstractions to imagine post-human offspring.

The study of faces and masks has been a recurring motif for Anguanatatu. For this project the research and hand crafting of mask features unleashed deeper translations into expressions about what makes us human, what it is to be alive in a progressive yet chaotic world.

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Supported by:
Éon (sound)
Pilot Beer
Canvas and Panels
Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards (VACMA)