IVAN JOAQUIN CERIA
& JAIDAH-LEIGH WYATT
IvanIvan (the t̶e̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ ok / Ceria) is a multimedia artist born in the Philippines, raised in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and seasonally based between Yellowknife and Toronto. His constant travels between rural and urban life inspire his surreal, nostalgic, and liminal work – exploring the quietness in both slow and fast ways of life. He grew to love photography, taking dreamy photos of the Northern Lights, and ethereal, sunny midnight landscapes during the summer. Also proficient in 3D modelling, videography, audio mixing, and interactive media, Ivan hopes to reignite his childhood passion for conceptualizing immersive experiences. His desire for media-making extends towards his career in education, teaching experientially through multi-media lessons!
Jaidah-Leigh Wyatt is a Canadian-Jamaican writer/filmmaker, currently studying Media Arts at York University. A writer first and foremost, she enjoys bringing her words to life through various mediums, whether than be film, photography, interactive or audio based projects - making her a bit of a mixed media artist as well. Above all else, she adores the weird, uncanny, macabre, and anything horror-related (specifically psychological horror). Inspired by Alex Garland, Ari Aster, Zdzisław Beksiński and surrealist artists everywhere, she has also been delving more and more into absurdism and surrealism as of late. She chases the myth of originality and strives to discover the never before seen. Overall she aims to create works that make people think - that challenge their perspectives and change their views. Her work is intended to put a mirror in front of her audience, and inspire them to learn something about themselves and the things around them. The most important thing however, is for her to always stay creative, never be confined to the boundaries of any particular medium, and become a well-rounded artist. Whether it be writing, filmming, or drawing, you can always find her working on something (or so she says).
https://ivantheok.com/
@isit.ivan.itis
https://jaidah.cargo.site/
Our project aims to not only invoke feelings of nostalgia, but also demystify it. Through the ever-expanding network of the World Wide Web, we will examine the good and the bad of early 2000s internet core records, from the fun and bright visuals of Windows XP, down to its slow load times and abysmal performance speeds. Beyond internet nostalgia, CHROMA’S KEY aims to use 2000s internet-core as a metaphor for nostalgia in general, and challenge viewers' fear of change through three different Chroma Colours. Chroma keying, the act of removing a colour from a background in order to change it to something else entirely, can be seen as an act of change that many people don’t often go through willingly. Looking back at the past through rose-coloured glasses (as we often do), it is hard to look forward to the future without apprehension. CHROMA’S KEY hopes to change this by removing the mysticism of nostalgia and presenting it flatly, as its most honest self. The past was a charm, but the future holds hope too.
Technical Details:
CHROMA’S KEY is a mixed-media experimental art installation comprising of a radio show, a commercial played on a CRT TV, and computer display all inspired by early 2000s technology. Its multimedia format invites users to re-format their romanticization for early 2000s nostalgia, though this has proven to be difficult with today’s delusionary new wave of cyberculture personified as CHROMA. Moreover, the crossroads of liminality and chroma-keying technology inspired CHROMA’S KEY. Both focus on the jarring and uncanny limbo between “what was” and “what will be.”. This feeling is twofold as we wander the odd era between our late teens and early adulthood. Chroma, by definition, also describes the intensity and purity of colour. The accompanying chroma-themed photos shed light on our psychological wanders between these spaces as we experience intense emotions and attempt to find something “pure” in this toxic digital age.
The crossroads of liminality and chroma-keying technology inspired CHROMA’S KEY. Both focus on the jarring and uncanny limbo between “what was” and “what will be.” Oddly enough, I had a fixation on green screens as an aesthetic when I was ten, and now I focus on my ethereal/liminal photography. Still, it’s wholesome to enter my twenties, revisiting my aimless childhood aesthetic to tell a story of cyber liminality between your late teens and early twenties in a digital age.
Our project takes sonic and lyrical excerpts from Raveena's spoken-word song interlude, The Internet Is Like Eating Plastic, heavily distorts the instrumentals, and overlays the lyrics on a three-minute 3D animation sequence created in Unreal Engine.
The cinematic follows a low-poly model of myself traversing an early 2000s internet-core landscape with touches of uncanny liminal sets. I also reference Nico’s Nextbots (a popular Roblox horror game in which a 2D image chases the player in a liminal 3D map), Subway Surfers (a mobile game now frequently used as a video backdrop to keep a viewer's attention while watching another video), Windows XP memorabilia, and my own photography scenes.
CHROMA’S KEY also showcases photos I took a few months ago with a chroma green, blue, and PNG grey/white checkerboard palette. The “chroma” world I inadvertently created evolved into the 3D cinematic I assembled over the past couple of months.
Raveena’s interlude perfectly summarizes our themes and feelings toward CHROMA’S KEY. Pop culture references aside, I want our project to convey the awkward and often lonely stage of one’s twenties. This limbo zone is even more pronounced in the virtual realm we tap into daily. It’s easy to feel a close connection to loved ones in the internet realm since our digital culture is a flirt and preys on us giving and receiving attention from others. But the lonely space between people and places in the physical realm can often be sobering when we leave from our own devices. I hope that CHROMA’S KEY can unlock these complicated feelings to others and that viewers can project and “chroma key” their virtual experiences and thoughts in real life!
HOST (Hillenburg) - Don Oliver
The loveable host of CHROMA FM! A curious little dope who does not always seem particularly enthused about his situation, but is a genuine fan of CHROMA technologies and the mystery of CHROMA itself. Once they’re engaged in a conversation, they’re sure to bite their teeth into it.
EUGENE - Samuel Venema-Hill
A self-proclaimed internet know-it-all who has spent years and years researching all of the internet’s nooks and crannies. He is invited on the show as an internet expert who has to answer a bunch of hard hitting questions. This shows his easily agitated and egotistical nature. Overall though, he’s strangely passionate about his beliefs.
PATRICK - Shoumik Sarkar
Another CHROMA enthusiast who is interested (albeit wary) of the new CHROMA sightings popping up in his mostly traditional town. He serves as a neutral point to see the good and the bad of CHROMA technologies. He’s pretty chill.
PEARL - Joselyn Zendejas
A teeny-teen girl archetype, who possesses an incredible amount of information on CHROMA technologies. She is as invested in CHROMA as the host and welcomes the new changes and what they could mean for current society. Don’t be fooled by her manner of speech, Pearl is the smartest character on the show!
SANDY - Ayokunmi Oladesu
An old woman who is coming to terms with the CHROMA technologies taking over her life and the town she calls home. She is not taking the new changes very well unfortunately.
SQUIDDY - Helena Zarifeh
A sassy salesman who’s one purpose is to sell you things! Squiddy simply wants you to spend your money (preferably on his products) and will put on the most charismatic persona to help that happen.
NEWS PRESENTER - Cai Gates
A Ryan Seacrest type who will present the most horrifying news to you with a smile and a corny joke to boot!
SHELDON - Amy Cooper
The jelly to News Presenter’s peanut butter, riffing off of the same jokes and expressing the same incomprehensible aloofness to bad news that their counterpart also has.
UNKNOWN - Crescent Choudhary
A strange crackling voice that supposedly knows where CHROMA’S KEY is hidden. They are cryptic and speak quietly, worried about who is listening in. Unfortunately, not much of their voice can be heard.
EUGENE'S MOM - Michelle Pan
The overbearing mother to the man who spends most of his time nose deep in internet worm holes. All she wants to do is make sure her son is well fed and stops rotting his brain with all those strange internet subcultures.