I’ve always been puzzled by the core of this question – If a Tree Falls in the Forest and There Is No One Around, Will It Make a Sound? since childhood—as if I wanted to find an answer but never quite managed to come up with one.

In recent years, I’ve become interested in a fascinating fusion of ideas between modern physics and game theory, as explained by Tom Campbell. Similar themes, explored by different authors, can also be seen in detail in the 30-minute film Desert of the Real.

“The question in the title is a popular riddle in the history of philosophy, which has appeared on the pages of various publications since George Berkeley asked it in the 18th century. Berkeley developed a theory, which he called ‘immaterialism’. This theory denies the existence of a material substance, claiming that familiar objects are only ideas in the consciousness of the perceiver and cannot exist without being perceived.

According to Berkeley, “to be means to be perceived”.

The question, however, seems to exceed the sum of all possible answers because of its aesthetic qualities. Berkeley’s answer, having one meaning in the 18th century, today refers not only to the world of ideas but also to the world of techno-images. It seems that the modern landscape of techno-images fully follows Berkeley’s logic…”

 

/excerpt from the text to the exhibition by Krassimir Terziev, Plus 359 gallery, Sofia/