SHADOWTIME, 2023

Netherlands, USA, Türkiye| VR, 20’, Color | English
Directors: Sister Sylvester, Deniz Tortum
Actor: Rawya El Chab
Producers: Institute of Time, Ecegül Bayram, Fırat Sezgin

The VR project Shadowtime makes its Türkiye premiere at Istanbul Modern following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2023. Taking its name from a recently coined term for our age, “shadowtime” describes the feeling of living within two different, irreconcilable temporalities at once: preparing breakfast for a child while knowing that, within their lifetime, a flower species that has existed for thousands of years will disappear; or trying to get to work in traffic while realizing that the fuel in your engine is made of the compressed remains of prehistoric life.

The project explores these temporal and emotional contradictions through virtual reality and simulation theory. Existing in a virtual world means having two bodies, four hands, and two hearts; living in two separate worlds at the same time. Guided by Alma, the mysterious companion of this double-layered world, viewers reflect on the climate crisis, grief, memory, and whether the virtual is a form of escape or a new mode of existence. At the same time, they encounter virtual space as an experiential field in which we may learn to exist in two places and two times at once.

A talk will take place in parallel with Shadowtime, on June 11.

Click here for details.

Shadowtime will be on display from June 10th until June 24th on İstanbul Modern’s Mezzanine floor.