// new media class

Co-project with Lars Sorger and Aaron Schwerdtfeger

This work explores the quiet yet deeply rooted tension that arises between the desire to communicate and the inability to be fully understood in everyday life. It tells the story of someone who has long tried to follow the “appropriate” forms of communication shaped by their home country’s social norms and education system. However, upon crossing national and cultural boundaries, they realised that these forms no longer felt “appropriate”—in fact, they often became constraints.
The work responds to the viewer’s presence, but not through clear or direct signals. Instead, it intentionally adopts a *high-context culture mode of interaction—subtle, ambiguous, and easily overlooked. This indirectness often obstructs effective communication, resulting in moments of misreading or disconnection. At first glance, the work may seem unresponsive. But with closer attention, a implicit intention to communicate begins to emerge. Whether the viewer perceives this intention or not, however, remains beyond the artist’s control.

*High-context culture is a concept introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall. from 70s. It refers to cultures where: Much of the communication relies on implicit understanding, shared experiences, and nonverbal cues rather than direct, explicit words.