Based on her ongoing research on Counterfactuals in Media Arts, Elke Reinhuber explores how a narrative can be presented in a multi-linear manner, by fragmenting and dissecting it for the audience. The spectator is invited to become the protagonist of the film short and to question the different outcomes of the decisive situation.
The plot is based on the popular mythological tale of Orpheus and Eurydice in regard of their key moments, questioning what if the story would have had a different outcome? According to the tale, as Orpheus has been the first human being who visited the underworld and returned alive to the here and now, particular attention is drawn to the display of life-supporting imaging technologies, which merely provide a concept of the physical conditions, but never on a mental or psychological level.
Therefore, the 3D presentation consists of several layers, including spatial audio and augmented reality, each of them revealing a different aspect on the situation. At the same time, the display modes force the spectators to turn their heads around and by doing so, being in the same situation as the protagonist of the ancient Greek myth.
Her particular interest is in the space behind the peripheral vision of the audience, which becomes most evident in 360° environments. As a surrounding component, dedicated audio plays a major role in her installations.
Media artist Elke Reinhuber currently holds a position as Assistant Professor at Nanyang University in Singapore, for Expanded Photography. In her artistic research, she investigates on the correlation between decisions and emotions and explores different strategies of visualisation and presentation, working with immersive environments, virtual and augmented reality and scientific imaging technologies.