Soulscape: installation art for awareness of inner relief

Abstract

The experiential space ‘Soulscape’ is created as part of the PhD Dissertation ‘Soulscape: Installation Art for Awareness of Inner Relief’ to explore one’s awareness of inner relief, which can be a path toward achieving inner peace. The aims are to experiment with art practice on the issue of inner relief awareness and to create installation art that presents positive experiences, allowing the audience to sense inner relief. In-depth research led to analyzing and synthesizing creative strategies to produce an experimental art practice that embodied the experiential space of ‘Soulscape.’ The concept is to create a space of positive experience that provides a sense of inner relief by allowing moments of contemplation about the constant changes of life and finding strength to alleviate suffering using moving images that incorporate natural visual elements and sounds to create an immersive experience for the audience to connect with. Once presented, the installation art generated various aesthetic experiences that were emotionally positive and uplifting. The audience felt a sense of relief by observing the changes inside the exhibition space, which varied depending on the daylight outside, and enjoying the sight of moving images and the accompanying sounds. In contrast, some audiences appreciated the beautiful interaction of the overlapping movements between their bodies and the moving images. All these data reflect the success of installation art in delivering experiences that allow one to become aware of inner relief, as the audience had throughout their time in the immersive space of ‘Soulscape.’ Keywords : Inner Relief, Soulscape, Installation Art