Yoshi Sodeoka The Swarm

The Swarm builds upon Sodeoka’s fascination with natural systems. The works are multi-layered, constructed using a variety of digital media and techniques. Particle systems, AI image generation, and vector graphics foreground the production process and digital nature of the works through the use of green screen and ‘media offline’ messages.

Sodeoka plays with an inherent tension that arises from constructing synthetic realities to explore natural phenomena. This tension between the organic and the artificial not only reflects the complexities of our relationship with technology but also challenges us to reconsider the boundaries between reality and the artificial. Compared to some of his more abstract work, The Swarm offers imagery that lies closer to real-world environments, yet is imbued with a dream-like, almost dystopian hue. Through the incorporation of these AI-generated landscapes, figurative elements, and intricate vector overlays, Sodeoka constructs a complex visual experience that underscores the interconnected relationship between the natural and digital worlds.

The Swarm presents two series: The Swarm: r = 0, consisting of 16 generative video works, and 1.618, which comprises 18 uniquely-crafted video works. This structure reflects the golden ratio (1.618), a mathematical expression that resonates with natural harmony. This reflection draws a direct line between the fundamental principles that govern both the organic and the digital. The generative works operate on 15-second loops, segmented into 0.5-second intervals to inject rhythm into each piece, drawing on Sodeoka’s background in sound engineering and musical production, as well as the omnipresent rhythms and cycles found in nature. Sodeoka’s fascination with patterns and symmetries is visible not only in the fluid motion of the birds, but also in the intricate vector overlays that punctuate the works. His work becomes a bridge, connecting the complexities of the natural world with the mathematical intricacies of the digital one.

While The Swarm primarily delves into the complexities of natural systems, it’s also reflective of the contemporary landscape. In a world where technology infiltrates every aspect of life, Sodeoka’s use of green screens, media offline messages, and other visual signifiers invites us to question the authenticity and stability of our perceptions. The vector overlays, which initially suggest a scientific order, are revealed to be purely aesthetic—further emphasising the uncertain nature of reality.

The Swarm navigates the boundaries between the organic and the digital, between reality and imagination, asking viewers to engage with a world where understanding is increasingly blurred. In this sense, the work does not just reflect the digital age; it invites us to deeply examine the ways in which our experience of the world is mediated by the very technologies that are also able to create, distort, and obscure it, leaving us to navigate a reality that’s perpetually in flux.