Unlike the paradigm of modern thinking that is arborescent, vertical, and includes determined boundaries; Rhizome is the vegetative root that is the most prominent symbol of postmodernism. If in tree diagrams, the vertical impose of the verb: to be is always present, in the horizontal circulation of rhizome, this verb converts itself into become.
In contrast to centered (even polycentric) systems with hierarchical modes of communication and pre-established paths, Rhizome is an acentered, nonhierarchical, non-signifying system without a general and without an organizing memory or central automaton, defined solely by a circulation of states. [ a thousand plateaus, deleuze and guattari ]
Collective Expansion is a data processing software, which through some strategies like long repetitive circles and highlighting the nodes, applies horizontal characteristics of a “rhizomatic” system in order to give the audience the visual experience of the verb: to become. Everyone can feed the collective expansion according to their desire (a collection of words which could be meaningful/nonsense/hybrid/pre-established) and after a while, there would be a chaotic, massive and monster-like sculpture in the room, which constitutes of multiple actions.
There are two different involving groups, and two represented graphs. The audience can take part in this interactive installation by either visiting the gallery or accessing the system via Internet.
The Rate of Participation can be detected through the speed of Expansion. The submitted words would be visible in two generated graphs. One of them simulates the interaction of outsiders, and the other one simulates the insider’s interaction. These two digital sculptures will be projected holographically.
In collective Expansion, human networks, outside the gallery act singularly and divided from populaces, but in the gallery, common directions could intensify each other and emotions could have more sharing capacities. Multiple ideas would have the chance to transform to movements of the bodies in a collective dimension.
The Collective Expansion attempts to demonstrate the constituting power of the
audience’s desire and change their passivity vis-a-vis arborescent, vertical, stable and classified systems and converts it to some active movement.
“Rhizome is always in the middle…”
This project also presented for 72 hours at shirin art gallery in Tehran. poeple participated in process by adding words to our database at website http://collectiveexpansion.com and local audience submitted their words with a keyboard realtime at the gallery and the graph bellow was a sample state of the rhizome that were developing by their words.