“Wherever you are, be there totally” - Ekhart Tolle

Where am I? Physically, I’m here. Mentally, I’m somewhere else. Digitally, I’m everywhere. The Presence is an interactive kinetic sculpture that explores the relationship between our physical and digital selves.

There’s just one me and one you, but online our presence becomes complex. Social platforms attempt to replicate facets of presence in different ways - bodily movement becomes a pin on a map, action becomes a status update, emotional response becomes a “like” or “share” while snapshots of the self fit in a neat little square.

The digital realm holds many fragments of “self”, geographically distributed, wildly accessible, searchable and always on. These fragments are a version of the past self, existing in perpetuity, ready to be re-activated as others scroll past.

The Presence unites physical and digital presence together through mechanised scrolling and drawing. Roller-blind motors sit atop a weavers loom, holding an ink-filled bobbin to an endless scroll of canvas. On approach, The Presence senses you are here, and responds.

As viewers move through the space The Presence invites them to reflect on their own relationship with technology and consider the interwoven nature of our physical and digital selves.

Marian Sandberg is a finalist in the 2023 City Rural Emerging Artist Award and the 2023 UnitCare Services Digital Media Award for 'The Presence'.