“Ephemeral Gate v0261” demands active participation. The work is typically exhibited on a large, vertically oriented LED screen, but its preferred environment is a browser window, where the viewer’s own hardware becomes part of the piece. The gate’s decay algorithm is partially dependent on local processing power and network latency; on an older laptop, the glitches intensify, the frame rate stutters, and the gate becomes almost impassable. On a high-end machine, the gate briefly achieves a deceptive clarity before the algorithm inevitably introduces new forms of degradation. Furthermore, the work includes a hidden cursor-tracking function: if the viewer moves their mouse slowly along the gate’s perimeter, the decay temporarily slows, as if the gate is sensing their presence. If the cursor crosses the threshold into the central void, the screen briefly resolves into a perfect mirror reflection of the viewer’s own room, captured by their webcam, before the gate collapses into a pure white noise. To “enter” the gate is to be confronted with one’s own image, rendered equally impermanent. The viewer thus becomes a co-creator of the ephemeral moment.
Includes updated character portraits and environment assets (e.g., Merchant District/Harbor waterfalls).