Theo Triantafyllidis

Studio Visit 360, 2018

360 Video
Color, 10'

In Studio Visit 360 (2018), Theo Triantafyllidis re-imagines the gallery space as his own virtual studio. In the creation process, he embodied an Ork avatar, who used digital tools to create 3D forms, a process which was recorded through DIY motion capture. The recordings of this performance are now presented as a 360 studio visit, where the viewer can watch the Ork create the sculptural work. In creating the Ork character, Triantafyllidis pairs prevalent video game tropes with the performative persona of The Artist. Ork Aesthetics are inspired by gender-fluidity, medieval contraptions, engineering tools, brutalism and gaming culture. The artist's performance considers the concept of virtual labor and production in today's hybrid-reality work environments, as the Ork experiences the frustrations and complications of artistic labor in the virtual studio.

Originally this is a performance documentation of a Site Specific Mixed Reality Installation, first presented at Meredith Rosen Gallery, New York, NY as part of the solo exhibition "Role Play". It can be viewed in 360 by looking around using a mobile device. The documentation of this work was made possible by the generous support of Rhizome.org and the 2018 Mobile VR Microgrant.

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For the 2019 edition of Locarno Film Festival eight institutions were invited to propose a VR work that answers to the theme "Gender Bender" as an homage to the work of John Waters, an icon of queer culture and Pardo d'onore Manor 2019. The sum of all proposals creates a collective thinking on the subject. 

For the following reason, Roehrs & Boetsch proposed Studio Visit 360: “Gender bender” is a person who disrupts expected gender roles. In Studio Visit 360 Theo Triantafyllidis embodies an androgynous Ork avatar who’s aesthetics are inspired by medieval contraptions, engineering tools, brutalism and gaming culture. With its inconsistent and exaggerated gender-details, imaginative and slightly threatening appearance, the Ork challenges expected gender roles in relationship to artistic labor. An experience that is accelerated by the immersive qualities of Virtual Reality.

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