Photo: Edwina Hay, courtesy of the artist
Having placed her body/self at the centre of much of her earlier performance, photographic, and video work, Chun Hua Catherine Dong has turned to virtual reality and augmented reality (VR and AR) technologies for the new and immersive entry points they offer into her subject matter. Meet Me Halfway (2021) demonstrates how, despite Dong being physically absent from the work, it is no less personal and intimate. In fact, viewers dive deep into her psyche with a VR landscape of her memories and objects related to them. This first foray into immersive technology was inspired by her experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she reflected on the collapsing of time and space that occurred as we all isolated ourselves in our homes and found connection online. The abstract shapes, bright colours, and figurative objects depicted in the piece were all chosen for the comfort that they bring to Dong, whom we might imagine taking refuge within the safety of this digital space.
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