SHUIXIN WANG
GRAPHIC DESIGNER // DIGITAL ARTIST // RISD 2023 //
︎ Information
︎ Soundcloud
HYPNOPEDIA
Multimedia / Vr Immersive Experience / Poster Design / Font Design
This artwork endeavors to reflect the paranoid and suspicious perspective of a dictator through an absurd lens. The people living under autocracy have gradually transitioned from expressing dissent and protesting against the government through direct and explicit slogans and banners, to employing cultural symbols as a means of circumventing censorship. Concurrently, as avenues for vocalization are restricted, forms of protest have subtly woven themselves into the fabric of everyday life, becoming increasingly enigmatic. In response, the authoritarian government grows more suspicious, and when this skepticism peaks, even the most ordinary daily actions can be construed as having subversive inclinations. This piece aims to delve into the diminishing boundary between politics and the personal lives of citizens under an autocratic regime.
Hypnopaedia in “Brave New World” is a method of brainwashing that exploits the susceptible state of individuals during sleep. By repeatedly playing recordings that instill specific beliefs and values, the government subtly molds the thoughts and behaviors of its citizens, fortifying its control over them. Sleep, being an intensely personal and daily necessity, serves as a powerful metaphor in this context; there is perhaps no clearer illustration of the invasive and disruptive nature of a totalitarian society on personal life than the infiltration of political indoctrination into the sanctity of sleep. The government’s reach extends into the most intimate realms of existence, illustrating a profound violation of individual autonomy and a pervasive manipulation of reality.