Swastika Eyes, eternally unwavering eyes, eyes of faith.

The idea behind this artwork is derived from my personal unique visual experience. My left and right eyeballs can independently drift from one another in an outwardly slanted state, as a normal focal perspective is quickly replaced by an alternative focal position. A normal line of sight is usually achieved when both eyes are focused in unison, with a balance in sight achieved between the left and right. However, when one of the eyeballs “drifts”, the objects perceived by the line of sight become overlapped or separated, with variations occurring in multiple angles, and sometimes, even objects that are invisible under the normal line of sight are observed. Swastika Eyes is based on this sensory experience, with footages shot with three different perspectives and post produced to create alternative physically processed landscapes. The three different controllable lines of sight that shifted either rapidly or slowly make it seems like there is a “third eye”. Reflecting back on the real life, are we being seen from an “unconventional line of slight and angle”? Wherever there is a wall or a pole, a surveillance camera is usually present, as it looks down upon us covering various aspects of our lives. These “eyes in the sky” are all around us. The site of this project is in the bustling Xinyi District of Taipei, with the shots captured from a bird’s eye view like a surveillance camera and not from a normal visual perspective. A retina is thus provided to a city that is covered by numerous eyes in the sky, with images formed simultaneously based on different perspectives.

Under the spatial misplacement, connections are made beyond what’s visible to the eye, with alternative visual perspectives made available and dialogues simultaneously sparked between objects and occurrences from different spaces. This artwork is not intended to enhance sensory experiences happening in an urban spectacle; it departs from the interpretation angle of “re- physicalization” of the camera, illustrating possibilities and imaginations for “alternative positions for objects being seen”.
It follows the sequence of using the sense to interpret, with “seeing is believing”, and under realistic circumstances, consciousness reigns above perceptions, with “seeing” dictated by a certain “something”. The title of the artwork, Swastika Eyes, refers to eyes of faith and “seeing” is “believing”, regardless how the act of “seeing” is experienced.