An artist is building an interactive exhibit where visitors confront a ghost-like, shadowy humanoid figure powered by AI, inspired by the Japanese horror film *Kairo* (2001). This project addresses a gap in how we understand the complex, often indescribable emotions and hidden anxieties people feel about digital technology and their own identities. While much research on technology focuses on usability or efficiency, this work explores the eerie, supernatural side of our relationship with machines—using horror as a lens to examine the self in an era of rapid digital change. It also brings East Asian supernatural traditions into a participatory, non-academic space, fostering cross-cultural dialogue. If successful, the immersive artwork will offer a new, playful way for the public to engage with fundamental questions about identity and technology. The project is primarily a creative and cultural exploration rather than a practical tool. However, by blending art, film, and AI, it could influence how museums, galleries, and public spaces design experiences that help people reflect on technology’s emotional and psychological impact—a domain that remains largely unaddressed by conventional exhibits.
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By conducting this international fellowship at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Japan, I aim to create an immersive and interactive artwork that blends art, film and technology. This exhibit will help us discover more about the complex nature of the self, understand the present, and explore the interaction with the technology. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach combined with AI technology, it invites audiences to step into the cinematic world and interact with a shadowy, ghost-like humanoid figure. It will offer a creative reflection space where horror and technology intersect, and the eerie, supernatural presence becomes an expression that explains our complex, indescribable emotions and hidden anxieties while exploring our relationship with technology, as well as how we see and understand ourselves and our place in the world in the era of digital advancement. Inspired by the Japanese horror film Kairo (2001) and as a further development of my PhD project on the representation of the female ghost in Chinese cinema, I intend to expand my research into an immersive and participatory experience which people can feel, hear and interact with. Through this approach, this project offers a playful way for audiences outside academia to experience East Asian supernatural traditions, contributes to the broader landscape of horror and cultural studies, and fosters cross-cultural appreciation and dialogue. This project also encourages a multidisciplinary discussion on the interrelations between the fields of art, the humanities, and technology beyond theoretical contributions.
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