Temple

Directed by Lawrence Lek

Temple is a guided CGI tour through a ghostly nightclub of evacuated London: a space filled with ethereal dance anthems of the near future. Originally created for a site-specific installation at central London art space 180 The Strand, the video continues his series of virtual worlds that explore the role of memory in an age of simulation. For the exhibition, Lek made a physical version of Temple, the karaoke club originally featured in his feature-length CGI film ‘AIDOL’ (2019), where the fading popstar Diva plans her comeback with an AI ghostwriter. The soundtrack filled the neon-lit room, while screens displayed video game walkthroughs of a new subterranean tunnel that leads virtual ravers from Temple Tube Station to Diva’s club, through the burning rubbish bins of a future-wracked London. Referencing the Japanese meaning of kara-oke⁠—‘empty orchestra’⁠—Temple is a nightclub after the party ends; a place devoid of humans; a sonic architecture filled only with ghosts.