When we contemplate the origins of visually mapping environments the first image that comes to mind are paintings and pictographs found in prehistoric caves and early sanctuaries; these rudimentary drawings became the foundational syntax of social communication systems that provide the earliest documentation of human evolution. The evolution to technology-driven creation signifies a profound shift in human expression. This technological advancement has democratized art, enabling wider participation and global reach. Contemporary art forms, driven by technology, represent the pinnacle of human ingenuity and innovation¾ showcasing diverse voices and perspectives in ways never before possible.

Unity in Flux: The Ones & The Zeros, curated by Aarish Sardar, presents technology as the frontier of visual mapping, by highlighting its intersectional nature, Sardar brought together over twenty-one artists to explore innovation and technology through art, design, and code. This unique showcasing offers an insight into the diversity of environmental realities seen through each artist’s interpretive lens by incorporating the latest in AI, VR, and AR. This collection of transformational installations is interactive and reflective. What originated with stone tools and pigment can now be witnessed through immersive, multidimensional experiences, reflecting on the metaphysical and material nature of technology.

Dr Megan Smith and Dr Gao Yujie, through their immersive installation All The Stars We Cannot See, invite viewers to step inside the space to pause and gaze at the unseen dynamics that shape our world. Their captivating visualization presents 25,500 satellites orbiting Earth, transforming the sky into a commentary on the modern technological landscape. By reflecting on the implications of space colonization and increasing surveillance of humanity, satellites are transformed into central figures forcing us to examine our relationship with these silent watchers that influence our lives from above. The commune of satellites also represents orbital debris, amplifying their materiality and revealing the approaching eclipse they cast on the natural balance between our planet and the universe. This dialogue on digital or electronic waste is the focus of Data Detritus by Rohma Khan & Artversation which piles together various discarded hardware materials creating an uncomfortable image of wastefulness due to rampant technological consumption. This confrontation with broken hardware questions our blind reliance on technology highlighting its rampant consumption without regard for sustainability. We are forced to question how technology disrupts the planet’s ecological balance, bringing us to question if it has improved our lives or simply compounded the problems we now face.

Through this group exhibition, Sardar has initiated a collective where artists can explore experimental mediums such as Virtual Reality as seen in Hasaan Saqib’s Pakistan Space Station. This particular VR project is a preview of a future where Pakistan has a space station with breathtaking views of the cosmos that are based on accurate scientific data research. In this flight, the artist has created a journey for the viewer from the space station to natural cosmic events such as Black Hole and traversing through a Nebula. To visit space through a VR headset can be a multisensory experience and the closest we might get to how it might actually feel. The fluid nature of digital streaming can be experienced in Ammar Faiz’s work ‘AKA Real’ as he uses a Single Channel Video playing on a loop creating an infinite metaphysical space by capturing a physical object, a chair transforms into a luminescent projection blurring the line between digital data capturing and physical space.

When artists closely examine binary numbers as the foundational layer of digital code, seeing their purpose as to create software that optimizes various operational tasks, the act of decoding this language reveals a world beyond the binary. We are able to witness how digital interfaces influence and direct human interaction as artists localize and personalize these systems using empirical and deconstructive visual approaches. By doing so, they bring to light new ways to perceive and interconnect subjects like social media, as seen in Intrinsic Code I by Ali Raza, or the metaphysical symbolism intersecting with spirituality, as explored through animation by Sadaf Noori Malik in The Quest for Knowledge creating a cross mapping of Sadequain’s iconic mural on the ceiling of the Lahore Museum. Malik’s work, in particular, navigates Sacred Geometry, blending it with digital analysis to explore the spiritual realm through a contemporary, technological lens.

Amongst the artists showcasing in this exhibition, the works of Rushda Aarish, Stefano Fake & The Fake Factory, and Nicholas Felton lead viewers through ephemeral experiences, each offering a distinct technological interface. Aarish’s Noise (Less) Imprints contrasts the beauty and fragility of roses with the brutal rawness of meat. Using AI, the painterly images transform into haunting and visceral landscapes of war. The artist presents a series that captures the duality of memory, humanity, and machine, balancing documentation with emotion. Stefano Fake & The Fake Factory offers an immersive experience, where data visualization becomes fluid waves that wash over the senses. Here, viewers are no longer observers but part of a drifting, shifting stream, alive with motion. The transformation of static data into an oasis of transient visual vibrations invites the audience to merge with the space, as if absorbed into the data stream itself. In contrast to this fluidity is Felton’s Elemental, which grounds itself in 3D renderings of periodic elements while pushing the viewer to perceive the material world through digital abstraction. His innovative portrayal of these invisible structures creates a dialogue between form and substance, blending archaeology with theory, seen through the lens of technology.

As we navigate the intricate matrix of artworks featured, a central theme emerges¾ while technology offers unprecedented opportunities for exploration and discovery, it demands our accountability. Without critical reflection, the unchecked advancement of technology can adversely affect the future of our planet. The artists’ presentations and interpretations delve into the realities of our current digital existence, engaging with cognitive, creative, and spiritual explorations. By reclaiming the agency over technological creations, we can foster a necessary realignment with the natural world, countering the isolation and alienation that often accompany technological integration, particularly in art. In this era of rapid change, the show advocates for an interactive and open dialogue between the traditional and the modern, the digital and the physical, enabling artists to push the boundaries of creation through technology.

‘Unity in Flux: The Ones and the Zeros’ at Ejaz Art Gallery, Lahore from July 26 to August 1, 2024. Participating artists included, Abbas Murad, Aiman Gillani, Ali Raza, Aman Asif Lone, Ammar Faiz, Anil Waghela, Anton Sahler, Aroosa Naz Rana, Hasaan Saqib, Megan Smith & Gao Yujie, Nicholas Felton, Osama Ali Khan, Rinoshan Susiman, Rohma Khan, Rushda Aarish, Sadaf Noori Malik, Sousan Qadeer, Stefano Fake & The Fake Factory, Wajeeha Batool, Wassay Ejaz and Zainab Saghir Barlas.

Title Image: Stefano Fake & The Fake Factory, In The Flow, Immersive Multimedia Art Installation, 2023

All images are courtesy of, and copyrighted by, Ejaz Art Gallery.