Geomantic navigation
A chart for digital destinations
Year: 2021
Materials: JPEGs, Geomantic Method, ChatBot, GoogleMaps
Dimensions: variable
Location: Artpool IG feed
"Geomantic Navigation" leverages the ancient practice of geomancy as a creative tool for exploring the dynamic landscapes of online spaces. This unconventional approach to online navigation rejects predetermined paths and thrives on the interplay of narrative elements and pseudo-random encounters.
The project consists of nine distinct digital artifacts, each one crafted with four essential components: an image, a fortune, a keyword, and an interaction with the Telegram-based @GeomancerBot. These digital images employ bold, vibrant colors to create visual illusions that convey motion. Geometric shapes and patterns subtly allude to maps and enigmatic territories; clusters of dots and symbols echo geomantic figures, and the captions beneath the images seem to reveal to users the divinatory process.
The exploration in 'Geomantic Navigation' begins with the selection of four arbitrary geographical coordinates in Philadelphia, which form the mystical foundation for a geomantic reading. This process yielded the geomantic symbols, keywords, and vivid mental images that shape the project.
As users engage in this digital exploration on Instagram, they embark on a choreographed journey. Navigating between platforms and screens becomes a pseudo-ritualistic immersion, and the abstract iconography within the images forges connections between text and location, giving rise to what may seem like a guided narrative. This approach offers an alternative perspective on how we perceive and interact with online spaces.
In summary, 'Geomantic Navigation' invites users to embark on a journey where the boundaries between geographical coordinates and textual narratives blur. Here, coordinates become more than just markers of place; they transform into gateways to an intricate interplay of symbols, keywords, images, and narrative elements. This approach invites users to immerse themselves in a digital realm where technology and magic converge, providing an alternate perspective on experiencing and engaging with online spaces.
The work was commissioned for a show on the Instagram feed for the NFT gallery
Artpool - Portugal.
Project Components
1
Geomancy divination chart: divination is the foundational component of "Geomantic Navigation," drawing a parallel with the traditional practice of drawing lines in the sand. In this interpretation, the process begins by selecting four arbitrary geographical coordinates in Philadelphia, echoing the act of marking symbols in traditional geomancy. The recursive process generates key geomantic figures such as "mother," "sisters," and "judges," providing the basis for subsequent divination signs. Each sign's meaning serves as input for searches, culminating in a unique form of prediction that bridges mysticism and digital exploration.
2
Digital Artifacts: Within the Instagram grid, these nine unique pieces morph the grid into a living divination chart. Comprising four crucial elements - an image, a fortune, a keyword, and integrated interactions with @GeomancerBot on Telegram.
Your keyword is: fountain
"Guardians of Springs and Rivers: Naiad, Aba, and Potamid - Allow me to present an alternative view: concealed within the enigmatic fountain, nestled at the crossroads of Peru Street and Universitaria Avenue, lies the narrative of the Andes' heroic journey."
Your keyword is: lupine
"In the liminal space between life and death, an extraordinary library emerges, its corridors bathed in purple hues reminiscent of pathways strewn with lupine blooms. Inside, an enigmatic process unfolds as beans undergo a curious transformation when exposed to smoke. Here, there are no entrances, no exits, and no destination to seek."
Your keyword is: lina
"The journey is an unending flight where the land seems to stretch infinitely. Fifteen individuals emerge from a queue to embark on fifteen distinct voyages, all are driven by a singular purpose: to uncover character sequences reminiscent of TIA LINA."
Your keyword is: arch
"Behold the river where arches meet their fractured fate! False data? - Pause at the crossroads of rivers in Arcos de la Frontera, Cádiz. Could it be that these minor arches, just like graceful fillings, give birth to perfect sunset arches?"
Your keyword is: grasp.
"May the twisted path guide you to a new journey, one that unveils a moon-kissed beach in Pensacola. Within this realm, a request holds the key to deciphering and categorizing errors within the system, ensuring data materializes precisely when and where it's required."
Your keyword is: port.
"At its essence, it's all about [loop] and [loop] and [endloop], helping us forget that zip codes sometimes arrive unexpectedly."
Your keyword is: broken.
"This revealing look at life: a group of people inhabiting a place, settled, established themselves in self-constituted meaning, working face to face with peers in low budget office parties- people also searched for entertainment tonight."
Your keyword is: elbow
"Despite its lack of authority, a voice has the power to captivate the entire room, leaving everyone in suspense as they eagerly await its meaning. Let's not forget about LunaRosa and Sol de Tierra, thriving in the vibrant rhythms of merengue, infusing the atmosphere with spirited elbow thuds."
Your keyword is: loss
"Your identity? Shattered. If the phone were yours, she'd call. But it's broken. I foresee it as 'The Broken Connection."
3
Chatbot @GeomancerBot: The Telegram-based chatbot @GeomancerBot is a key interactive component of "Geomantic Navigation." Users interact with the chatbot by providing specific keywords tied to the digital artifacts, directly experiencing the project's divinatory facet.
