“Mid-itation,” a film exploring spirituality in the digital age

Allow yourself a few short minutes of intentional reflection. Letao Chen’s rendered face fills the screen, her hypnotic drawl guiding a meditation for the chronically-online. The ensuing scenes are both captivating and disorienting. Chen’s body is either contorted or in a seated yoga pose with a chakra of symbolic objects—an Elf Bar, a Yoni Egg and a stuffed Squirrel among them—orbiting her head. The setting switches to an ominous, snow-filled landscape, as the line between satire and sincerity continues to blur: I do not want to be talented, I want to be a drop shipper. 

This is the London-based artist’s short film, “Mid-itation,” a parody of the self-help guru and critique of the commodification of spirituality, wellness and authenticity. Chen’s robotic voice paces through a string of fragmented thoughts, unraveling an astute commentary on identity and the absurdities of internet culture: Am I real enough to be loved, and unique enough to be sold?