Immersion: Parra River Patch (first playthrough)

Immersion: Parra River Patch (first playthrough) is the first in a series of video and sculptural works devoted to the Parramatta River.  

Stylised as a Twitch playthrough of a video game, Immersion sees Dhir’s avatar swimming in the contaminated river against a backdrop of construction sites and young families. The work reflects on the agency of rivers by trying to dissolve the self within histories and futures of riverways. 

The work was made on the lands and waters of the Burramattagal people of Darug nation. Dhir pays respects to Darug elders past, present and into the future and gives thanks to his own ancestors. 

His work, Livestream was set to premier at Next Wave 2020.

Kalanjay Dhir is an artist and musician based in Western Sydney. His work draws on popular culture, sci-fi and spiritual texts. Dhir is interested in exploring mythological and speculative technologies through sculpture, video and internet objects. He enjoys thinking about what the world could look like if it were built with devotion. 

Credits
Composed & Performed by Kalanjay Dhir
Mentored by Dara Gill
Videography: Murli Dhir and Rob Milazzo
Drone: Nicholas Pavlakis
Unity design: Alexandra Chalmers-Braithwaite
Design: Alex Tanazefti
Score & Sound Design: DJ Atro 

Thanks to conversations with Akil Ahamat, Tante Sylvie, Dr Ian Wright, Carol Que, Ling and her tai chi class, the Next Wave 2020 artists (RIP), Emily Sweeney, Kerrie and Sri W. Dhir.  

Immersion  is supported by City of Parramatta Council, Parramatta Artist Studios, CreateNSW and Next Wave.