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Documentation of Installation
Role:
Director | Cinematographer | Editor | Performer
Format:
360° VR · Live Action + CGI + AI-generated Imagery
Year:
January 2023
Context & Concept
These questions formed the basis of Deceptive Beings, a contemporary take on the contradictions between belief, behavior, and the manipulation of crowds. The exhibition explored universal themes like hypocrisy, blind obedience, power, and the loss of identity in mass behavior. It avoided specific language or context, opting instead for a gibberish soundscape and genderless, ageless visuals to keep the message broad and universally resonant. To visually reflect the starkness of moral duplicity, I used a black-and-white palette, removing cultural or symbolic color bias.
Poster design
“The Glass Pillar,” from Folktales from India, edited and translated by A.K. Ramanujan.
Design Process
Inspired by the story ‘The Glass Pillar,’ my initial ideations revolved around masks, projections, and repetition, creating a sense of anonymity and surrender. Over time, I layered in more symbolic imagery:
A wall of 63 faceless masks attached to a white wall, representing the hypnotized mass
Blinking eyes projection mapped on the masks, symbolizing forced attention
Ink dripping across faces, signifying the imposition of a leader’s identity
A silhouetted figure growing in size, filled with spirals, representing hypnotic power
The visual style leaned into abstraction, and the soundscape featured four layered voices orating in gibberish, including a fictional dictator, a religious cult leader, a political voice full of conviction and a masked, glitchy tone reminiscent of hacker, with anonymous voices. These were intercut with sharp projector slide-in sounds, contributing to a chaotic, hypnotic atmosphere
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Execution
The space was a large gallery, where the concept note greeted the audience at the entrance. We darkened the room and created a gradually constricting path with large softboards leading inward to the installation, to induce a sense of claustrophobia. The installation ran as a loop, with key symbols like spirals, fogged heads, blinking eyes, and masks reappeared, emphasizing the cyclical nature of manipulation. The pacing, inspired in part by the title sequence of Mindhunter, created tension through stillness and sudden shifts, pairing cinematic technique with installation logic.
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Reflection
This was a unique project that led all my interests — cinema, design, sound, and installation — to converge into the making of one public-facing immersive experience. I learned how abstraction can speak louder than literal storytelling. I also realized the power of space, repetition, and ambiguity in affecting how people interpret work.
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Credits
Eye Shot
Sam Sajan Thomas
Salma A Vahid
Manjusha NM
Rucha Damle
Shivani Jey
Manjusha NM
Mrinunjay Baruah
Sai Niveditha
Lavnish Poddar
Harshan Haridas
Nikhil Gurung
Aswin N Sabu
KVSS Varshini
Manuel K Mathew
Karthika Viju
Gaurav Pal
Kasturi Katale
Shriya Gurkha
Vaishnavi Das
Pranav Karle
Apurva Prabhune
Dipra Arora
Jaii Shrivardhankar
Satvik Soni
Hardhik Kinathad
Yatin Seth
Satvik Soni
Anna Thomas
Muhammed Shezin
Seethalakshmi B
Gayathri Pradeep
Arushi Sharma
Shoka Bolli
Kavya Bharati
Pranav Jagtiani
Sanskruti Shukla
Cube shot
Meenakshy Ajith
Shruti Ganesh
Samyak Bhansali
Mahesh Warble
Dhruvraj Jadeja
Ashray Sachan
Shivam Singh
Sanitra Samit Vartak
Bhanu Fulara
Arundhati Dhyani
Jayasri Sridhar
Lakshmi Vidyasagar
Mohit Kesur
Souhittyo Sinha
Nonisha Negi
Shreya Sandhu
Debasmith Barua
Harshal Gurav
Nitesh Patar
Pranav Holla
Rohit Thomas Issac
Sugam Thakur
Riya Pariya
Aanandi Singh
Adarsh Aryan
Vaibhav Nanchahal
Aradhna Kumar
Interview edit
Amal Zen
Jayasri Sridhar
Shreya Rajan
Cinematography | Sound | Colour
Saurav Syam
Documentation
Lakshmi Vidyasagar
Mask and Production
Akash S
Aman Jain
Amritha Varshini
Arjun PS
Aryan Rashpa
Avani Samaga
Javed Ali
Jayasri Sridhar
Karthika Viju
KVSS Varshini
Kriti Kumar
Laishram Henthoiba
Lakshmi Vidyasagar
Manjusha
Medha Bhagwat
Meenakshi Ayyappan
Mohammed Razin
Namya Chadha
Pankti Bhavin Gala
Pranav Holla
Sameeksha Rohatgi
Sara
Saurav Syam
Sruthi Arunkumar
Sooraj
T.J. Joel
Software and Tools
Stable Diffusion
After Effects
Audition
DaVinci Resolve Studio
Logic Pro
Meta Quest 2
Blender
Illustrator
Premiere Pro
Insta360 Studio
StreamVR
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