Onilimbo
Fields
EXHIBITION
course
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
year
2025
Project overview
Onilimbo is an exhibition that explores the liminal space between physical reality and the digital realm. Conceived as a state of transition, it blurs the boundaries between the tangible and the virtual, creating an immersive experience where these two dimensions coexist, overlap, and reshape one another.
The project was structured into different phases, each represented by a distinctive icon. This methodology was designed to build a complete and coherent project, starting from a core concept and gradually exploring its different facets. Each phase contributed to expanding and refining the initial idea, ultimately leading to a comprehensive vision that could fully embody and communicate the concept.
Starting from the words “online” and “limbo,” I explored their origins, meanings, linguistic derivations, and related terms. This research became the foundation for the creation of a new word: Onilimbo, a neologism that merges the two concepts into a single expression.
Onilimbo describes the liminal space between the physical and the online world—a contemporary condition in which our existence is constantly suspended between reality and the digital ether. It reflects the way we inhabit both dimensions simultaneously, shifting between our tangible presence and our digital identity.
An in-depth research phase followed, exploring everything that could be associated with the concepts of limbo and online. The investigation moved beyond their literal meanings, expanding into images, artworks, films, visual references, theories, and related concepts. Each reference became a piece of a broader visual and conceptual research, helping to define and construct an imaginary around the newly created word, Onilimbo. Following this research, it became possible to give Onilimbo a complete and precise meaning, defining the concept at the core of the project.
Onilimbo (n.) — A state of suspension between the physical and digital worlds, in which we are constantly connected, yet never fully present.
The design
The final phase marked the transition from research to design. Onilimbo became an immersive exhibition structured around three stages: Reality, Limbo, and Online (Ether).
The visual identity reflects this structure, with the Onilimbo logo representing the three dimensions through a simple visual system. A soft gradient from light blue to pink reinforces the transition between each phase, evoking the blurred boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.
Rather than remaining static, the identity adapts across different applications, reflecting the idea of transformation and unstable boundaries. Typography, colors, and graphic elements work together to create an ethereal yet recognizable atmosphere, connecting every touchpoint of the exhibition into one cohesive visual experience.
The exhibition
ONILIMBO is an immersive, interdisciplinary experience combining art, technology, and critical thinking to explore the relationship between humans and the digital world.
Built around a neologism that merges the concepts of the digital and limbo, the exhibition reflects on our role in a world where the boundaries between reality, perception, and digital presence are increasingly blurred.
The experience unfolds through three stages — Reality, Limbo, and Infosphere — guiding visitors through a gradual sensory journey that ultimately confronts them with an identity that is fragmented, questioned, and redefined.
Reality as Background Noise
The first phase begins with a soundscape composed of notifications, automated voices, urban noise, and institutional sounds. Diffused throughout the entrance space, the audio immerses visitors in the constant noise of everyday life, representing the coded, structured, and traceable reality from which the Onilimbo journey begins.
A Ritual of Scanning and Rewriting
The second phase invites visitors to lie down in a neutral and vulnerable space, where their presence is scanned, translated, and projected into digital form. Sounds, biometric data, and visualizations merge to generate a new, temporary identity.
An individual immersive experience that embodies the transition between physical presence and digital existence.
A System That Responds to Your Presence
The final phase consists of a network of luminous threads and interconnected digital nodes that reacts to the movement of the body. Each gesture alters the balance of the entire system, reflecting how, within the infosphere, everything is connected and every interaction leaves a trace.
A dynamic and collective installation that transforms individual presence into part of a constantly evolving network.
Onilimbo brings together research, spatial design, and visual identity to create a unified experience between the physical and digital worlds. From Reality to Limbo and Ether, each stage contributes to a gradual transition in which visitors become increasingly aware of their own digital presence.
The visual identity extends this concept beyond the exhibition space, translating its fluid and suspended nature into a coherent graphic language. Together, the exhibition and its identity give form to Onilimbo: a space where reality and the digital overlap, questioning what it means to be truly present.
