Tomb of the Self
A Museum for Disappearing Technologies
Spring 2025
#rhino
The Tomb of the Self is a museum that serves as a commentary and critique on the evolution of media and socio-cultural paradigms. The museum explores the central theme of an individual's progressive yet inevitable loss of perceptual agency by portraying the temporal transition of the relationship between media technologies and human culture as a spatial experience.
Archifacture model
Closeup
Archifacture
Without pre-determined form, parti, or diagram to the construction, an “archifacture” model emerges from a direct and creative engagement with the particular objects and fragments themselves.
The curation of included objects greatly determines the tectonic possibilities of the model, the form is conditioned by applying restrictive fabrication rules, and applying a new scale once the model is assembled transforms the fragments into “pure design forms with syntax and potential “virtual actions” (Collins, 2025).
Archifacture model
Closeup
Archifacture
Without pre-determined form, parti, or diagram to the construction, an “archifacture” model emerges from a direct and creative engagement with the particular objects and fragments themselves.
The curation of included objects greatly determines the tectonic possibilities of the model, the form is conditioned by applying restrictive fabrication rules, and applying a new scale once the model is assembled transforms the fragments into “pure design forms with syntax and potential “virtual actions” (Collins, 2025).
Archifacture sections
Expressive collage on media
Loss of perceptual agency to media's Control
The paradigmatic shift from qualitative physical social interactions to highly quantitative representations potentially constitutes a profound diminishment of individual agency, as self definition increasingly occurs not through conscious self-authorship but through the algorithmic interpretation and presentation of our digital information. The self becomes less a creation of intentional action and more an emergent property of distributed data systems operating beyond conscious control.
The consequence is a progressive attenuation of experiential depth, as our relationship to reality becomes increasingly characterised by consumption rather than participation, observation rather than immersion, and fragmentation rather than integration.
Archifacture sections
Expressive collage on media
Loss of perceptual agency to media's Control
The paradigmatic shift from qualitative physical social interactions to highly quantitative representations potentially constitutes a profound diminishment of individual agency, as self definition increasingly occurs not through conscious self-authorship but through the algorithmic interpretation and presentation of our digital information. The self becomes less a creation of intentional action and more an emergent property of distributed data systems operating beyond conscious control.
The consequence is a progressive attenuation of experiential depth, as our relationship to reality becomes increasingly characterised by consumption rather than participation, observation rather than immersion, and fragmentation rather than integration.
Section of digital (left) and analogue (right) zones
Symbolic -> Analogue -> Digital
The Tomb
Embodying Gilles Deleuze's concept of control through "continuous modulation," the museum's architectural narrative begins at the shophouses along Emerald Hill Road. Visitors start close to the ground, bathed in natural light, experiencing symbolic media where abstracted information is communicated through representational systems filtered through subjective human perception. As they venture deeper, they enter the era of analogue media, increasingly sheltered from natural light. This section showcases technologies like camera obscura and zoetropes that introduced persistence and objectivity while revealing sophisticated methods of manipulation through film editing, darkroom techniques, and sound mixing.
The exhibition culminates in the digital era, completely sheltered and artificially lit, where rapid interaction and feedback loops have subconsciously shaped user behaviour through dynamic adaptation. The journey concludes in Orchard Gateway, creating a stark architectural contrast that reinforces the museum's message. The Tomb of the Self ultimately signifies the dissolution of individualisation and agency, inviting visitors to confront how technological immediacy may paradoxically diminish our experiential understanding of the world as we sacrifice embodied engagement for digital convenience.
Section of digital (left) and analogue (right) zones
Symbolic -> Analogue -> Digital
The Tomb
Embodying Gilles Deleuze's concept of control through "continuous modulation," the museum's architectural narrative begins at the shophouses along Emerald Hill Road. Visitors start close to the ground, bathed in natural light, experiencing symbolic media where abstracted information is communicated through representational systems filtered through subjective human perception. As they venture deeper, they enter the era of analogue media, increasingly sheltered from natural light. This section showcases technologies like camera obscura and zoetropes that introduced persistence and objectivity while revealing sophisticated methods of manipulation through film editing, darkroom techniques, and sound mixing.
The exhibition culminates in the digital era, completely sheltered and artificially lit, where rapid interaction and feedback loops have subconsciously shaped user behaviour through dynamic adaptation. The journey concludes in Orchard Gateway, creating a stark architectural contrast that reinforces the museum's message. The Tomb of the Self ultimately signifies the dissolution of individualisation and agency, inviting visitors to confront how technological immediacy may paradoxically diminish our experiential understanding of the world as we sacrifice embodied engagement for digital convenience.
