ipseria

An unusual experience awaits recipients: a virtual reality with no digitally-generated content. ipseria and its virtual environment have their origin in the physical realm. ipseria is/are multifaceted. polyphonic. collaborative. inclusive. queer. ever-evolving. intersectional. As a globally occurring form of life, ipseria exist/s as a mono- or multi-entity association in the mucus of vertebral organisms. Its/their features are akin to atoms, box jelly fish, slime molds, leopard slugs, or social amoebas. However, it/they possess/es an unique skill: the reproduction beyond its/their species, thus queering the concept of identity and undermining classification systems. Various materials like clay, plasticine and latex have been modeled, as well as organic materials, such as lichen or slime molds, have been collected and cultivated. By using 3D scanners the sculpted, collected, and grown elements were digitized, then processed in the 3D program Houdini and finally combined in the gaming software Unity to create a 360° VR experience. Hence, the virtual and physical world are intertwined. This is the VR part of a multi-sensory mixed reality installation enables the encounter with ipseria where the recipient transgresses into a virtual reality enhanced by haptic, olfactory and sound elements. Isabell Bullerschen (she/her) studied Communication in Social and Economic Contexts at the Berlin University of the Arts, Photography & Video at the School of Visual Arts in New York and Fine Arts at the Zurich University of the Arts. She is interested in slimy organisms and the construction and blending of realities. Through installations and videos, she explores the potential that lies in the deconstruction and rewriting of narratives. She employs a meta-surgical method in which her work serves as a scalpel to dissect anthropocentrism. The binary narrow-mindedness of human relationships of all kinds are cut open and insides are turned out. She relies on the knowledge gained from sensory experience that she puts in contrast to the empirical or argumentative approach of the supposedly objective science. Her work has been exhibited at venues such as the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Kunsthalle Zürich, Haus Konstruktiv and Helmhaus in Zurich. She received the artist grant of the Aargauer Kuratorium 2015 and 2019. In 2021 she was awarded the artist grant by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the working grant of the Canton of Zurich, and in 2022 the working grant of the UBS Culture Foundation. 2023 she received the artist grant of the Canton of Zurich.

Text: Lorena Harauzek Photos: Philip Frowein Concept, Direction, Modelling, 3D scans, Script, Production: Isabell Bullerschen 3D Implementation/Animation: Sebastiaan Cator 3D Animation: Florian Baumann Programming: Arno Justus Sound: Sound: Aske L