Syzygy on a Budget: An Alternate Universe Tour

Syzygy on a Budget was a result of the 3 month-long Collider Residency hosted by Contemporary Calgary in 2019. Inspired by Brutalist-era sci-fi, the project was formed from a thought of what “utopia” would be like through brutalist ideals and vacationing. “You can’t find yourself here” was the underlying thread of thought for the project. For those unfamiliar with the architecture of the Planetarium, this place feels and looks alien. The Planetarium is also a location filled with nostalgia as it was once a science museum, left empty until we’ve become nostalgic for what we had destroyed and abandoned. We’ve sequestered the past into mysticism and we used that myth as a reason to change into something else.

The project is a series of 9 mini imaginings of what each universe might be like through one culturally specific “fact” or “reality” from undefined/unknown cultures. The imaginings were manifested through interactive stations, utilizing engagement, construction, and location as part of environmental storytelling. Found throughout the winding and disorienting Planetarium, visitors could use these stations as wayfinding markers to explore the entire building and discover all the nooks it holds.

As part of the project, three guided tours were hosted to explain the story behind each Universe.

GREEN LIGHT STATION (Universe 1)

• MDF arcade cabinet, green acrylic, custom keyboard, Raspberry Pi, computer monitor; 2020.
• Welcoming visitors to Universe 1 stands a glowing green cabinet. Fashioned similarly to your universe’s arcade cabinets, in Universe 1 denizens regularly update their existence through these machines they name “Green Light Station.” These machines are conveniently commonplace throughout Universe 1, helping the people continually verify themselves. Failure to regularly update a user’s data is a criminal offense punishable by prison sentences and, in severe cases, deletion from the system. Deletion is essentially death, as someone cannot live and verify their existence without data to prove it. Around 5% of the general population is deleted from the system annually. Most of these deletions are due to deaths.  Before being deleted from the system, the data is backed up into a storage unit similar to your universe’s USB drive. These units can range from simple and practical to ornate and encrypted. All storage units are then housed in environmentally controlled rooms. For this tour, the Green Light Station was generously donated by the people of Universe 1. Though this cabinet is not connected to their system, you are welcome to input data about yourself and experience what it might feel like to live like a person from Universe 1!
• Green Light Station generously donated by Denizens of Universe 1
• Did you know? In your universe, a standard keyboard has 109 to 112  keys; however in Universe 1 the keyboard has just 30. To them, 30 is enough for everything that is necessary. It allows them to type faster and succinctly, believing your keyboards to be too frivolous and inefficient.  

CELESTIAL THEATRE (Universe 2)

• wooden cabinet, touchscreen monitor, mini computer, webcam, label printer, cloth; 2020.
• In Universe 2, the world never really changes, even though generations of people come and go. Rather than the landscape conforming to denizens, it is they who conform to the landscape. Denizens maintain the upkeep of the Universe, working not solely just for themselves but for everyone else too. Universe 2 is very unforgiving of physical change and deviation, owing to the fragility of material balance. As such, denizens of Universe 2 do not exhibit much variance in outward personality, instead using these Celestial Theatres to express themselves. Looking similar to your universe’s photobooths, Universe 2 developed these front-facing cameras to remind denizens of who they are. At times, reminders are needed that denizens are not only another part of the machine, even though they are viewed as such. Though this Universe and the usage of these Celestial Theatres may seem cruel, it is, in fact, the opposite. Rather than fighting what can’t be overcome, instead of trying to solve the Universe’s problems, denizens have learned to live within the limits of what they are capable of. The theatres are reminders of their humanity and sacrifice, to not forget under the strictness of conformity. Along with being able to look at themselves intimately, they can also print a copy of their time in the Celestial Theatres, which can be kept as is or which they can stick onto their personal belongings as forms of reminders of thoughts, emotions or information they once had — reminders that they belong in Universe 2.
• Celestial Theatre generously donated by the Denizens of Universe 2
• Did you know? In your universe, art collective Quartet in Transit developed a similar booth using similar objects!

CLAIRVOYANT CAPSULES (Universe 3)

• toy capsule vending machine ($1), plastic capsules, paper; 2020.
• Has one really experienced a place fully if they don’t have a souvenir to prove it? For the lucky currency of $1, you can take home a gift produced by the people of Universe 3. In Universe 3, sound is difficult to produce as all soundwaves frequently cancel each other out due to the way the Universe is structured. As a result, denizens historically attempted to communicate via screaming, however they found even in attempts to overcome dead sounds, they still can’t listen to each other. Denizens now only communicate through the written word. In Universe 3, deniznes receive messages through these capsule machines. Similar to your universe’s postboxes and mail systems, people scream into the heavens and when their recipient vends a capsule, the message appears. The sender may not know exactly when the recipient will receive the message, but the sender knows it will be useful in the recipient’s future. There’s a distinct codified way of communicating. Here is an explanation of how the messages are structured:
• Blessings > 6 sets of numbers > a future foreseen by the sender
• Blessings: This is a way of greeting each other, like your version of “Hello.”. There are 6 “amounts” of blessings the sender conveys. Amounts are: plentiful, decent, mild, neutral, tepid, mediocre, and no. The amount of blessings is a way to measure an emotional state.
• 6 sets of numbers: These numbers are the sender’s name based on the date of birth, family number, and coordinates to where they’re most lucky.
• Future foreseen by sender: This is the message to be sent to the recipient. The message tends to be written poetically and philosophically. Though they may seem vague to us, the messages are made to only be made sense of by the intended recipient. The best way for denizens of Universe 3 to understand each other is to convey meaningful words.
• Because you exist in another universe, this capsule machine doesn’t work as  was intended to be used. However, as it is very similar to the gumball machines of your universe, it was converted so that each capsule houses pre-printed messages.
• Clairvoyant Capsules generously donated by Denizens of Universe 3
• Did you know? In each capsule are one-of-a-kind old messages generously donated by Universe 3 people.

WEATHER FORECASTS (Universe 4)

• computer monitor, Raspberry Pi; 2020.
• In Universe 4, the weather is dictated by the collective emotions of all denizens. When a tragedy occurs, the weather can be sombre and violent. When life goes on as usual, the weather mildly flutters along. All of these emotions are gathered whenever anyone uses a washroom stall, wherein what’s excreted is filtered into the atmosphere. Everyone, regardless of position within society and fortunes in life, need to leave behind what might cause pain and no longer be useful. Urine, feces, tears, vomit, blood, snot, dirt, skin, words, and sounds leave all bodies eventually, willingly or not. Every individual’s excretion in these stalls coalesce into one, forming into an essential aspect of life together. By developing a weather forecast, denizens of Universe 4 hope to end or elongate the weather. Weather exacerbates certain habits that may or may not be desirable: on a good day, denizens go into washrooms to expel excess water, further nourishing plants; on a bad day, tears make plants shrivel from excess salt. By forecasting, the hope is that denizens are made aware of the usage of washrooms and all that is being left behind. Though the use of washrooms is intimate and private, in Universe 4, it affects everyone. As your universe’s weather is moderately affected by personal toilet usage, denizens of Universe 4 is generously broadcasting their forecast into this monitor. However, as cross universe signalling is still unstable, information on this screen is not synced and might not be accurate.   
• Weather Forecasts generously shared by Denizens of Universe 4
• Did you know? Weather forecasts can only predict up to 1 day in the future, as that is how long it takes for wastewater to complete a cycle, therefore reaching the atmosphere.

OUR HEART’S DELIGHT CAPSULES UNIVERSE 5 VER.

• two-tier toy capsule machine ($4), plastic capsules, assorted toys (resin keychains, urethane keychains, chili oil necklace, poking-mochi pin); 2019/2020.
• What is a tour if there is not at least one stop that shares the culinary wonders of a universe? In this case, Universe 5’s preferred method of food attainment is through vending machines. Convenient, quick and a bit of surprise, denizens on Universe 5 are fully sustained by these machines. As the name would suggest, each capsule contains all that one’s heart would need. Similarly to your universe’s toy vending machines, in Universe 5, one never knows what they will get each time they crank a coin. To make up for customization, this seeming sense of randomness keeps these machines and their products fresh! What you might find in these machines might seem edible to your eyes but don’t be fooled! They are not meant for your bodies, as it is not built to breakdown the materials the way the denizens of Universe 5 are able to. As such, through the generous donation from Universe 5, you too are able to witness and keep one of four of their delicacies. As you can’t eat them, they have been affixed with chains so that you can at least take it with you wherever you go. Though it is inedible and it can’t nourish you, the four Universe 6 delicacies that you can own are:
  • Extra-firm squishy tofu, hand-poking-mochi pin, glowing ammonia-free century egg, heart numbing chili oil.
  • For the reasonable cost of two $2 coins, you too can experience delight in your heart.

UNTOLD FATHOMS POSTAL BOX (Universe 6)

• wooden postbox, acrylic, paper, LED lights; 2020.
• Every universe has its own natural wonders that seem to defy our imagination. In Universe 6, the natural wonder is moments: energy made from the consequences of forgotten actions. In Universe 6, moments echo endlessly as if in the sterility of a concrete building. For the denizens of Universe 6, moments are only made real by writing and sending postcards. The cards don’t need to be sent in order exist. However, to ensure such moments are manifested correctly, they need to be delivered. Delivery can occur in many ways but the most common is through their postal services. How far or near the postcard travels is solely determined by the sender: to another place, to another time; for people to see, for people to forget. Postcard contents can contain a simple summary list, it could speak to a future as a note, it could be to share an image with a loved one, or it could be a form of grieving of what is no longer. These postal stops allow people to slow down and elongate time to properly solidify moments. Though the immensity of depth of each moment is hard to conceive and to write down, the moments deserve to be recognized and to not float away in perpetuity, lost and unspoken.  
• Untold Fathoms Postal Box generously re-constructed with the assistance from the Denizens of Universe 6
• Did you know? In your universe, the city of Jeonju offers slow postal services as well! It is based around a local saying “sadrak sadrak” or “going slowly with frequent rest” People can drop off special postcards that are only sent once every season.
• *People are given the ability to write their own postcard from the available stack. These postcards can then be placed in one of two postbox slots: for real-world delivery, for indefinite storage. Real-world delivery will all be mailed at the end of the exhibition if the postcard is filled with all the necessary information.

EMBALMED REEF AQUARIUM (Universe 7)

• glass aquarium, water pump, resin rocks, sunlight light bar, epsom salt; 2020.
• Though all things will eventually end, how long the process takes and in what way, depends. For the denizens of Universe 7, dying and then death is a two-step process: embalming then entropy. Right as someone is dying, that denizen’s essence is transformed into fluorescent colours that represent who they were. Colours are then captured and encased into rocks. The essence rock is then housed in their family or chosen community aquarium, where a denser-than-water liquid helps to preserve the rocks from the atmosphere. Pumps maintain stimulus for the essences by consistently moving the liquid. The LED light mimics sunlight and runs on timers to help the essences maintain time. Though no matter what measures are used to preserve the essences, all rocks will eventually disintegrate, becoming part of the aquarium’s flora.
• Embalmed Reef Aquarium generously loaned by descendants of embalmed Denizens of Universe 7
• Did you know? The shape of the rock is decided by the person prior to death. Some have essences that spread and some like to stay compact, which means that people don’t completely fill their rock; some fill their rocks so much that the colours are hard to see.

MEMORY BANK STATION #4 (Universe 8)

• wooden box, acrylic, LED lights, assorted cords (USB-C, mini USB, micro USB, lighting), qi charger, green plastic mat, milk crates, plastic seats; 2020.
• Sometimes, taking it slow and having a break is just as enjoyable and memorable as big, fun things. In Universe 8, denizens enjoy loitering and occupying spaces together, even if they never talk to each other. The most important aspects for the denizens of Universe 8 are the connections they have to others. These connections are what you might recognize as similar to electricity. Universe 8 residents are bound to each other through faint, tingling sensations. It is also how they transfer information to each other, which is also used for communication. Though this connection is invisible to the naked eye, its feeling is very distinct, some even forgo using sight in favour of relying on these connection senses. In addition to communication and information transfers, these connections are also how they sustain themselves. Rather than eating as you would in your universe, they instead connect to charging stations for nourishment. These charging stations rely on denizens to not only take but also give. There are a number of ways that connection can be made: imparting information, reliving past experiences, emptying emotions, and many more ways. As such, when a denizen is receiving, they are taking in what was discharged. Each denizen can’t choose what kind of connection will be made, Whatever is received can either be kept or given out to someone else.  
• Here is a donation from Universe 8 of what a typical station would look like. To experience what charging might be like in your universe, cords are available to be attached to an external device of your choosing.
• Memory Back Station #4 generously loaned from Denizens of Universe 8
• Did you know? This station is outfitted with the most common methods of this universe’s denizens attempt to connect. While Universe 8 denizens use their bodies, your universe needs external devices. 

WAYFINDER (Universe 9)

• LED full-colour programmable sign; 2020.
• In Universe 9, the way denizens amble around space and time is through these LED signs. Denizens of Universe 9 have a hard time navigating reality, as the roots to history are severed at the moment of birth, thus attention and acknowledgment to immediate surroundings are absent. Denizen bodies are present but the respective souls are elsewhere. Lacking internal storage of any history, pretty and dazzling signs are made to draw attention, and through the act of attention, denizens begin to remember. As they stare into the signs, bodies warm up and temporarily remember information about themselves: who they are, where to go, what place they are in, etc. People stare into these signs for as long as they need, to program their bodies to complete tasks as they mentally idle in haziness. Staring at the signs also allows denizens time to assess actions their bodies have recorded. However, these signs always need to be updated in order to garner the attention of denizens, as attention wanes as a sign’s familiarity becomes part of the landscape.
• Wayfinder preserved with the generous approval from former Denizens of Universe 9
• Did you know? Wayfinder changes once every 3 months to reflect the flux of Universe 9. The next expected change is predicted to be sometime mid-March, 2020.