Iman Nuriyah Sim

‘SYNAPTIC SCHISM’ is an immersive mixed-media installation framing neurodivergence as a technical metaphor for human fragility and systemic manipulation. By synthesising 2D sequential comic structures with 3D assemblage, the work examines the tension between psychological confinement and the persistent delusion of free will.

The narrative follows Bryn (Subject B-416), a neurodivergent individual undergoing forced cognitive restructuring. His journey is documented through six "Subject Observation Logs" that chart a course through neural evolution and emotional decay.

The installation utilises interactive elements to manifest the conflict between the captors' clinical "ordering" and Bryn’s chaotic emotional interior. Using round ferrite magnets, jointed figures, and modular caption cards, the audience is prompted to physically manipulate the narrative, aligning themselves with the external forces that dictate Bryn's reality. This kinetic interaction serves as an inner manifestation of lost autonomy, questioning the ethics of surveillance and the stability of being under coercion.

Through a multi-planar composition of acrylic-painted frames and digital prints, the work constructs a fragmented, non-linear narrative space. Each canvas operates as a 'schism', a visual glitch representing the friction between Bryn’s internal truth and his rigid environment.

Framed by the stages of grief, ‘SYNAPTIC SCHISM’ tracks a narrative from initial trauma to the final breakthrough of reclamation. The work provokes a dialogue on identity, the morality of intervention and the resilient complexity of the neurodivergent mind.