tin drum and sou fujimoto present 'medusa' at london design festival 2021

tin drum and sou fujimoto present ‘medusa’

at london design festival 2021, sou fujimoto has collaborated with mixed reality studio tin drum to create an installation that merges real life with a virtual world. the immersive ‘medusa’ invites visitors to put on special headsets and navigate around an organic-shaped structure that morphs and evolves in response to movement.

medusa is on view inside the V&A museum during the 19th annual london design festival, taking place from september 18–26, 2021.

visitors can put on special headsets to explore a mixed reality world

AN INSTALLATION THAT COMES ALIVE

medusa explores the interrelation of nature and art, taking inspiration from natural phenomena such as the aurora borealis and underwater bioluminescence. thanks to tin drum’s tech, sou fujimoto’s organic architectural forms come alive to enable ‘a collective human experience’ that takes visitors ‘on a journey of self-exploration.’ the immersive and engaging experience is accompanied by an original composition by renowned musician and composer ryuichi sakamoto.

‘mixed reality is a medium well-suited to a collective experience, which can be instrumental in helping audiences develop deeper, more personal connections to art and performance,’ says yoyo munk, chief science officer of tin drum and director of medusa. ‘a tin drum production allows for audience agency, fluidity, curiosity, and presence because the audience is present in the space, sharing and observing their reactions. you cannot achieve that same agency and intimacy when you replace your physical reality with a virtual one.’

the medusa installation is on view inside the V&A museum in london

‘medusa is an exploration of translating architectural thinking into an entirely new medium, which we refer to collectively as mixed reality,’ explains todd eckert, co-founder of tin drum. ‘art and architecture overlap when you remove the barriers architects traditionally have to work around, like gravity and shelter. in a mixed reality medium, structures are constructed entirely out of light, so you have more room for dynamic behavior. our creative concept focused on the role of architecture in creating spaces for sharing narratives and developing culture – which is implicit in the design of churches, marketplaces, and office buildings.’

munk adds, ‘medusa allows sou fujimoto to share his vision and narrative in a new medium that is still authentic to his ethos, and audiences to engage with art, nature, and architecture in an entirely new way. their movement and exploration are guided by what they see and hear, which in turn affects how the structure moves and responds. it’s not a puzzle to be solved, but an ongoing conversation with the world around them, helping them to uncover what their particular role is in that space. tin drum productions not only push the boundaries of what is possible but dispel the myths and biases of the modern headset experience.’

project info:

name: medusa

design: tin drum x sou fujimoto

event: london design festival 2021