Auratic Interpreter
The desire for a holistic interpreter, or to be an objective empath, is a desire to move beyond ironic detachment, habitual consumerism, scientific reductionism and religious naivety. It reflects a desire for grounding the being phenomenologically, with one’s possessions as part of the politics of self. Benz’ installation is an attempt at mediating invisible knowledge, however anecdotal or trivial, revealing the multiplicities of possible narrative. Part divination, part polygraph technology, this machine reads the aura of inanimate objects and translates it to a visual record. This piece anticipates the need for increased data/memory retrieval in a post-material future.
SL Benz is an animation artist and experimental filmmaker working in hybrid media forms.Their work explores the interplay of memory, mediation, and political theology. By re-engaging with the supernatural and the ghosts of material forms, Benz’ work examines our relationships with culture.
