HYPER-IDENTITY
Wenwen Zhu
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People clarify their identity and gain power from both religion and ‘secular-religious’ beliefs. Secular belief structures from different cultural contexts coexist today. For many, occultism (referring to supernatural beliefs and practice) has become a kind of secular-religious belief.
In the context of contemporary digital capitalism, with the rapid development of digital technology, people are becoming more and more dependent on the Internet for religious or secular-religious practices. In addition, the Chinese government has severely cracked down on ‘the occult industry’. In China, the occult is a sensitive topic and it is illegal to promote it in Chinese law. The high-pressure control of the fortune-telling industry has made those who engage in such secular-religious practices marginalised. So a large number of Internet diviners and believers relying on digital media have appeared. In-app divination attracts a large number of people who are prevented from practicing their religion outside the Internet. This virtual mode is the most comfortable distance for them.
THE ONLINE COMMUNITY
For the library project, my research aims to provide a safe space that is both online and offline for people practicing occultism to get spiritual support, while also being able to communicate, and share their feelings and related experiences. There is technology installed in this space for tarot reading, allowing the audience to experience the interesting and beautiful side of occultism through interaction. I used mystic symbols for another design outcome, which is a wireframe of the website for people who are interested in occultism. The website is called magicland, and it is designed for an audience interested in mysticism in fashion, art, design and shopping. The audience can also ask questions and share in the online community experience. It takes inspiration from the idea of a library as a place for community. The new form of library I defined with magicland aims to provide a safe space for my audience to get spiritual support in any situation.
WENWEN ZHU
She is a fashion brand designer, 2D designer, experience designer, theological and occult researcher. Most of her early works combine fashion and religion. She currently focuses on research for the development of theology and mysticism.
Athenaeum, 2021
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