The End of You

THE END OF YOU was the culmination of a year-long collaboration between Gray Area and Gaian Systems, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to explore the potential of immersive art for social impact through the Experiential Space Research Lab. The open call for participation invited artists to propose novel experiences to cultivate planetary thinking. THE END OF YOU was on view at Gray Area from February 7 — March 1, 2020.

For more about the motivations and inspirations for the show, read Reworlding: The Art of Living Systems.

Description

What are the boundaries of the self?

The human body is composed of and animated by a vast consortium of organisms. Our cities both affront and absorb the landscape. The effects of our actions extend into geological time and even into outer space. Despite this, we often view humanity as separate from nature instead of part of a greater living system. If everything is entangled — from the microbe to the macroeconomy — how can we rethink our relationship with the living world?

THE END OF YOU invites us to expand our perceptions of self. What might happen when we stop seeing ourselves as individuals acting in isolation to experience the world as nested expressions of a larger whole?

Press

Duuuuude. What Happens if the Earth Gains Consciousness?

The interactive art pop-up ‘The End of You’ tackles the environmental crisis through a transhumanistic lens. It’ll even let you morph into a tree. Well, sorta.

WIREDCondé Nast

12 artists collaborate at Gray Area to immerse you in the environment

Gray Area is a politically-minded nonprofit arts venue focused on dissolving boundaries between art and technology, performance and life. The End Of You,

Mission LocalEli Black

A New Wave of Interactive Art Is Taking Over San Francisco

Experiences that go way beyond the Museum of Ice Cream

The Bold ItalicKatie Hunter