Sian Fan: Downtime

As a counter to the hyper-productivity of the post-post-internet world, Downtime virtually embodies the experience of ASMR into an interactive Realtime environment. Simulating a tranquil digital landscape, filled with calming digital artefacts, the user navigates via their computer arrow keys to explore the aimless world and discover aural sensations.

The viewer is immersed in a lush landscape of sculpted pink sand dunes, that stretch as far as the eye can see. As they explore the space, they will discover various digital forms that each emit a unique ASMR inspired sound effect. Downtime acts a virtual sanctuary, a safe space to indulge in idleness. ‘Downtime’ is the opposite of productivity online, stripping out the endless windows, ads and notifications to create a virtual space to unwind and to disconnect.

Follow the link below to launch the artwork

Downtime was commissioned by Phoenix in early 2020 in response to the theme of ‘idleness’ online, curated by Anoushka Goodwin. Published at a time of global lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, this theme and the resulting artwork have taken on a new gravity as many of us have been forced to spend even more of our time occupying online spaces.