Mirage: Eigenstate

Mirage: Eigenstate, weaves together analogous investigations into the nature of reality, positioning Western science as just one methodology among many in a constellation of pluralistic worldviews. The film explores diverse interpretations of reality – from tropical Sufi mysticism and monorealism to theories of quantum mechanics. Edited in the style of American astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan’s 1980s television series Cosmos, which sought to explain the origin of life and the fourth spatial dimension, Mirage: Eigenstate draws on the tradition of scientific mass communication, where complex concepts are made accessible through straightforward explanations, often accompanied by imagery.

Riar Rizaldi is an artist and filmmaker working across both cinema and exhibition contexts. His artistic practice focuses mostly on the relationship between technology, labor, and nature, world-views, genre cinema, and the possibility of theoretical fiction. His work has been shown at the Berlinale, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Venice Architecture Biennale, Taipei Biennale, and the National Gallery of Indonesia, among others. Recent solo exhibitions and focused programs of his work have been held at Gasworks, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and Z33 Hasselt.

Director Riar Rizaldi. Screenplay Riar Rizaldi. Cinematography Aditya Krisnawan. Editing Riar Rizaldi. Music Harsya Wahono, Stella Gareth. Sound Design Harsya Wahono. Sound Aim Adi Negara. Production Design Arda Awigarda. Costumes Juyez Dardo. Make-Up Juyez Dardo. Animation Riar Rizaldi. Producer B.M. Anggana. Production company New Pessimism Studio (Yogyakarta, Indonesia). With Hannah Al Rashid, Uji Hahan Handoko.

Films: 2019: Kasiterit (18 min). 2020: Tellurian Drama (26 min), Ghost Like Us (20 min). 2021: Becquerel (19 min). 2022: Notes from Gog Magog (19 min). 2023: Fossilis (12 min), Monisme (115 min). 2024: Mirage: Eigenstate.