In Some Far Away Land – IAB25-2 (2025)
Multi-channel video installation, mobile phones of varying sizes, looping digital video, sound
In Some Far Away Land explores how information is filtered, encrypted, and consumed in a time where truth feels both hidden and overwhelming. The work looks at how systems of control—both past and present—shape how we understand conflict. Drawing a line from World War II-era cryptography to today’s algorithm-driven media platforms, the project raises questions around personal agency, ethical spectatorship, and the emotional toll of constant exposure to global crises.
IAB25-2, one part of the work, immerses viewers in a rapid stream of scrolling social media posts, reflecting the numbing effects of endless news feeds. The title is taken from a content label in the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) Tech Lab’s taxonomy, which categorises ‘International News’—a reference to how platforms prioritise certain types of global content, that relate to war and conflict. This work examines how these platforms contribute to desensitisation by turning real events into background noise.
In Some Far Away Land is informed by both archival research of how algorithms have played a part in controlling information and present-day media observation. It aims to reflect how the digital age alters our understanding of reality.
Installation View at Battlebox Singapore, Fort Canning Hill (2025) Image credit: Finbarr Fallon
Ernest Wu 