NM

VR experience (headset) and digital prints

Imagine losing the ability to form words, of not being able to speak and to write. Without words, communication is made direct, concrete, physical. It requires a literal exchange of experience, or perspective, or touch.

“NM” immerses you in a digital recreation of a wordless world. A virtual reality composition of LIDAR photography, it captures both the everyday and the exceptional of its artist’s lived reality. It is a series of dimensional snapshots that let you into its artist’s mind and heart. It is an unconventional journal, a textless record of self-affirmation, and a love letter, an effort in documenting the beauties of living and in sharing those with others.

Andrew Kastner, the creator of “NM”, lost language in 2022 due to a massive stroke. “NM” is an expression of Andrew’s post-stroke work to reinvent communication. “NM” is a walk through a specific moment in Andrew’s life, a visit to his past New Mexico home, in communion with dear friends. It presents this moment as Andrew sees it—focusing on the things that grab his eye, or that mean something to him, or that reflect his presence.

Through “NM”, Andrew tells us who he is and what he cares about. As such, “NM” is simultaneously a declaration and outreach. It insists that the human condition is bigger than the words that describe it. And, it is an invitation to see beyond language and to recognize the very tangible things that connect us all.









Development: Zuyva Sevilla

Fabrication: Chase Ankeny, Anthony Badell & Tom Durkin

Printer: James Huckenpahler

Music: Anthony Badell & Todd Lovato

Writing: Andrea Dietz