Artist’s Statement
Ball of Truth, Roy Jianing Cheng (2024), Interactive Installation.Balloon, fan, metal bracket, ESP32 microcomputer, Stepper Motor, Laptop, camera, speaker.
During my MA studies, my practice-based research focuses on societal power issues and narrative strategies in interactive art. By employing creative methods that combine art and technology, I explored how individuals' perspectives are shaped and how interactive narratives of artworks are formed through audience participation.
My research topics involve power structures, discourse, political power, and their impact on individual perspectives. In modern society, the control of discourse by governments and institutions is particularly prominent. They shape facts and influence people's views on specific events for political or entertainment purposes. This manipulation often results in biased and provocative information, making it difficult for individuals to discern the truth. My interactive works reflect on the authenticity of the information people receive in their daily lives, attempting to reveal the power hidden within it and reminding viewers to adhere to their original beliefs.
Simultaneously, within the practice and exhibition of art, there often exists an invisible inequality between artists and audiences. During the process of viewing or interacting with artworks, audiences enter an invisible power structure. Their behaviour and perceptions are constrained by the framework pre-established by the artist. But in an ideal scenario, interactive artworks should empower audiences to participate in the creation of meaning and interpret the artworks based on their own experiences. Throughout my MA research, I experimented with varying degrees of audience agency and diverse interactive narrative methods, exploring the potential for artists and audiences to jointly ascribe meaning to artworks.