miguel chevalier immerses visitors underwater with digital abysses exhibition

miguel chevalier presents digital abysses, an exhibition of over 3,500 sq.m that includes ten immersive installations as well as a series of cabinets of curiosities containing more than 100 new works. taking over the monumental spaces of the bordeaux submarine base, the exhibition explores the undersea world through a series of digital art installations to raises concerns about the fragility of these ecosystems and highlight the need of preserving biodiversity.

radiolarians 2018, 6 gobos – 50 m by 3 m
photos by frédéric deval and ville de bordeaux

chevalier continues his explorations of nature through the theme of undersea flora and fauna, this time around the idea of the abyss. the exhibition explores in a poetic and metaphorical way our relationship with visible and invisible living beings, offering visitors a stroll between dream and reality, where they can delve into the heart of the unknown, just like in great oceanic depths.

atlantis 2015, printed canvas 20 m by 8 m

divided in six parts, the exhibition begins with four cabinets of curiosities, a set up that revisits the centuries-old tradition of designated places where one collected and presented a multitude of rare, novel, or strange objects, such as shells, fossils, or works of art. the cabinets in the exhibition consist of 3D-printed sculptures, videos, digital prints, dacryl resin paintings, laser cuttings inspired by underwater flora and fauna. further in, interactive installations carrying titles such as new atlantis and kelp forest reconstruct digitally various references to the undersea world.

the cabinets in the exhibition consist of 3D-printed sculptures, videos, digital prints, dacryl resin paintings, laser cuttings inspired by underwater flora and fauna

the coral series in the cabinets of curiosities is a collection of  natural corals and shells, 3D printed sculptures, wood and fluorescent pigments lit with uv neon light

the kelp forest is a massive installation suspended from the ceiling that resembles a jungle of luminescent kelp seaweed

the installation is created with an assemblage of 500 fluorescent microstructures linked to one another and lit with ultraviolet lights

 strange attractors is composed of wisps of color that evoke the lightweight character of seaweed and bio luminescent jellyfish floating in water
software by cyrille henry and antoine villeret

 at the end of the exhibition, visitors can find binary particules, an installation composed of one hundred helium-inflated 0s and 1s, floating in the exhibition space
software by cyrille henry

liquid pixels is a dynamic generative and interactive painting that recalls the streams emitted from hydro-thermal vents
software by cyrille henry and antoine villeret

new atlantis is an installation that evokez the myth of atlantis, an island engulfed beneath the waves. via an ipad interface visitors can explore a differently imagined city
software by claude micheli

digital abysses is a generative and interactive virtual-reality installation
music by michel redolfi
software by claude micheli and antoine villeret 

5 projections of 5,80 by 3,60 m

project info:

digital abysses 2018  by miguel chevalier is on until May 20 2018 

location: bordeaux submarine base, france

in collaboration with: surfrider foundation europe

supported by: dacryl, atelier arcay and the desk – art contemporain –

technical production: voxels productions

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: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom