miguel chevalier unveils immersive marine-inspired VR installations for his first show in korea

miguel chevalier introduces first exhibition in south korea

for his first solo exhibition in south korea, miguel chevalier introduces ‘digital abysses’ in aqua planet jeju island. the display furthers chevalier’s explorations of undersea flora and fauna, showcasing a selection of mesmerizing VR installations composed of mixed-media artworks and UV light, as well as 3D printed sculptures, digital prints, and resin paintings. the artist has imagined an immersive journey between dream and reality that spans over 1,500 sqm, proposing a dive into the unknown, just like the great oceanic depths, 95% of which remain unexplored.

image by thomas granovsky

interactive VR installations drawing from marine life

the exhibition starts with four ‘cabinets of curiosities’, containing more than 100 small artworks (3D printed or laser-cut sculptures, digital prints, and resin paintings) inspired by marine currents, extraordinary shapes of corals, and microscopic plankton. these luminescent universes by miguel chevalier (find more here) introduce seven different VR installations, like ‘liquid pixels’ immersing visitors in an interactive liquid environment of marine currents; ‘the origin of the world’ composed of four interactive magic carpets whose algorithm is inspired by the shapes and growth of fish’s skin pigments or ‘complex meshes’, where viewers experience various disrupted colored weaving patterns and wired radiolarians.

‘trans-seaweeds’ and ‘amphibolis’ are lush virtual underwater meadows, made up of varieties of imaginary corals, sea anemones, algae, and rhizomatic plants. these organic ballets utilize algorithms creating artificial life universes, with growth, proliferation, and disappearance effects ad infinitum.

image by nicolas gaudelet

‘digital plankton’ is composed of three virtual water bubbles, where microscopic animal plankton with their various shapes and luminescent colors develop in real time. these living organisms react according to the movements of visitors as if to emphasize man’s effect on nature. ‘oscillations’ is a generative virtual-reality installation, interacting with music by michel redolfi, founder of underwater music in 1981. a spectral waveform is transformed according to the music that presents natural polyphonies of the ocean recorded by the composer around the world. these floating sound spectra generate universes of waves or imaginary landscapes that recall korean sansuhwa landscape paintings. through the theme of the abyss, the exhibition explores in a poetical and metaphorical way our relationship with visible and invisible living beings. in investigating the notion of artificial life, it raises concerns about the fragility of these ecosystems and calls out for the need to preserve biodiversity.

installation software by claude micheli

image by thomas granovsky

installation software by cyrille henry, antoine villeret

image by nicolas gaudelet

installation software by cyrille henry, antoine villeret

image by nicolas gaudelet

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'oscillations' generative virtual-reality installation, interactive with the music by michel redolfi, software by cyrille henry, image by nicolas gaudelet

'complex meshes' generative and interactive virtual-reality installation, software by cyrille henry, antoine villere, image by nicolas gaudelet

project info:

name: digital abysses 2021
artist: miguel chevalier

organization: hanwha and ara art center (seoul)

coordination: tinlab

scenography: sylvie jodar, atelier jodar
technical direction: voxels productions

filmography: thomas granovsky
location: jeju aqua planet, jeju island, south korea

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom