SIHUI
欲望加工中心
Desire Machining Center
Interactive Installation | 2022 | Team Project
Behind the phenomenon of "low desire," an increasing number of people are transferring their personal desires into the virtual world to seek fulfillment. At its core, this behavior reflects a continuous search for the least costly "substitute," a form of compensatory satisfaction. With the rapid expansion of digital media, more avenues and perspectives for achieving such compensatory satisfaction are being explored and expanded.
This work takes the form of an interactive video installation. By constructing a system where specific events are presented on the surface while underlying logic remains hidden, it amplifies the often-overlooked psychological decisions in daily life. This work questions whether virtual compensation is a shortcut to realizing ideals or a psychological drug that consumes the self.
Onsite Experience
Scenes Setting
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"Wish-Fulfillment Fiction"
Escaping reality's disappointments by indulging in dopamine-driven narratives.
"Perfect Virtual Self"
Crafting an idealized avatar to mask real-world insecurities.
"Successology"
Indulging in the environment of "Successology" to achieve a temporary sense of achievement.
"Proxy Ambitions"
Projecting unrealized dreams onto offspring as generational compensation.
Chapter Analysis
Wish-Fulfillment Fiction
The first screen in the interactive installation showcases "Wish-Fulfillment Fiction"
Before interaction, the screen shows people aimlessly gathering beneath books and scrolls. When the audience reaches out to interact, the book flips as the hand moves, and classic scenes from wish-fulfillment stories and dramas emerge from the ink pool. The people in the scene begin to show excitement.
It illustrates how some people, seeking to escape the disappointments of reality, immerse themselves in wish-fulfillment stories to experience the pleasure of success.
Perfect Virtual Self
The second screen in the interactive installation showcases "Perfect Virtual Self". The picture before the interaction showed a person who was surrounded by "no figure", "no money", "no appearance", etc. and seemed to be in a bad mental state. When the audience reaches out to trigger the interaction, the person is bathed in a golden light and looks up at the golden light. When the audience's hand starts to move left and right, the person will turn in the direction of movement. It shows that some people choose to create a perfect life on the Internet to change their appearance in order to reshape their self-image in the real world.
Successology
The third screen in the interactive installation showcases "Successology". Before interaction, a person reaches for symbols of power—luxury watches, crowns, designer bags—while others preach at podiums. When triggered, crowds rush beneath these objects, climbing over each other. As the viewer's hand moves, the objects shift. The one atop the pile touches the prize, reflecting the pursuit of instant success through quick fixes to break class barriers.
Proxy Ambitions
The fourth screen in the interactive installation showcases "Proxy Ambitions".The screen before the interaction shows several children standing under a crystal table where the objects of the rich and powerful are buried. Four vertical light signs extend to the sky like four runways, showing classic quotes from parents who want their children to become successful. When the audience reaches out to trigger the interaction, several children will run along with the movement of the audience's hands. The audience can guide the children to run in front of a certain object.
It shows that some people choose to place their wishes on their children in order to realize the extension of their own ideals.
