Window To The Soul is a virtual gallery that pushes the boundaries of digital storytelling through an immersive fusion of technology and lived experience. Conceived and curated by Hannah Aria, the work brings together interactive content that blurs the line between presence and simulation, intimacy and distance.
At its core, the gallery incorporates deepfake technology and AI-generated voices, carefully trained on recordings contributed by Afghan women participants. Their stories—fragmented, layered, and reinterpreted through machine learning—speak both to the possibilities and the risks of technological mediation. Voices emerge as haunting echoes, carrying the weight of testimony while underscoring questions of authenticity, agency, and consent in the digital age.
Complementing these sonic interventions are photographic works, visual compositions, and spoken-word performances that weave a multi-sensory tapestry. Visitors navigate the gallery space interactively, encountering shifting layers of image and sound that invite them to pause, listen, and reflect. Each element is deliberately placed to evoke both recognition and unease: a reminder that behind every digital surface lies a real human experience, often obscured or silenced.
As a whole, Window To The Soul interrogates the ethics of representation and the politics of voice. It creates a space where the personal and the collective converge, drawing attention to the resilience of Afghan women while challenging dominant narratives about displacement, identity, and technology. By engaging with both cutting-edge tools and traditional artistic forms, the project reimagines how virtual galleries can become sites of critical dialogue, empathy, and resistance.
