Every night in December, artist LuYang takes over Times Square with a post-human dance party. LuYang’s elaborately outfitted and eerily lifelike avatars in DOKU: Digital Reincarnation are born out of the artist’s distinct and ongoing scientific and philosophical inquiries — an interdisciplinary blend of Buddhism, neuroscience, psychology and modern technology.

The shape-shifting protagonist in this five-channel work is DOKU; the name is derived from the phrase “Dokusho Dokushi,” which translates to “We are born alone, and we die alone,” and references a canonical Buddhist scripture. While sharing LuYang’s facial expressions and features, the nonbinary character was generated from an amalgamation of various dancers and musicians, and created in collaboration with a team of scientists, 3D animators, and digital technicians using the latest in motion capture technology. Through this repeated incarnation, the artist is reborn as an ever-present avatar, endowed with talents surpassing physical limitations — uniting ancient concepts such as reincarnation with the latest technological innovations.

Support for December’s Midnight Moment was generously provided by Meta Open Arts.