BEING HUMAN

Being Human (2019) is a video installation by Christopher Kulendran Thomas in collaboration with Annika Kuhlmann. “The film is underpinned by the story of Kulendran Thomas’s return to Eelam, Sri Lanka, the home of his activist uncle and the proposed site of an independent state for Tamils. It touches on Western philosophies of humanism, digital ‘deep fake’ pop stars, and the culturally homogenising power of art and money. The actual sculptures and paintings dotted in front of and behind the projection
screen reify the latter.” (de Young press text by Frances DeVuono)

The installation is built around a large glass screen laminated with holographic foil, which shifts between opacity and transparency depending on the precise synchronisation of projected image and light: when the projection is bright the screen becomes a luminous surface, when it goes dark the screen turns transparent, revealing the space behind it. Four ultra-short-throw projectors map the video across the walls, floor, and ceiling in a kaleidoscopic surround — filling the room with image, with no light directed toward the audience’s eyes. The effect depends entirely on the exact balance of projection and illumination, maintained in real time throughout each showing.

Role: Video Installation, Lighting Design & Technical Direction

Exhibitions:

VAC Foundation Venice Biennale 2019 – Time, Forward!

Schinkel Pavillon Berlin 2019 – Christopher Kulendran Thomas: Ground Zero

de Young Museum San Francisco 2020 – Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI

ICA London 2022 – Christopher Kulendran Thomas: Another World

KW Berlin 2022 – Christopher Kulendran Thomas: Another World

Kunsthalle Zürich 2023 – Christopher Kulendran Thomas: For Real

Singapore Art Museum 2023 – Proof of Personhood

MoMA New York 2025 – Collection 1980-Today