5 minute read
Inflated Ambition
from Vol 3 Issue 2
An immersive new media installation in Taipei positioned at the intersection of art and technology has been lit to dramatic effect by Eness.
Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness is an immersive new media installation that uses the intersection of art and technology to explore modern paths to happiness through unique interactions with characters along a mystical journey of discovery.
It’s the creation of Melbourne-based art and technology studio Eness.
Started in Taipei and now travelling the world, the exhibition asks its visitors to commit to the path – a tight and winding trail with subtle points of connection along the way – a glowing landscape of oversized, whimsical mountains that chant incantations and blink innocently from digital eyes.
Pilgrims also encounter a 10m tall forest dancer twirling in the middle of the path, a symbol of creative freedom in the modern world.
Visitors gradually progress through this journey of ritual, realisation and revelation, a warped and strange world full of illusions and delusions, perceptions and deceptions to the final part of the work to reach one of the two all-seeing gods: the Sun God and the God of Gods in this little world –Modern Guru.
Lighting has been a key element in delivering the atmosphere, drama and storytelling. LED lighting, much of it RGB, is carefully integrated to emphasise the characters and add legibility to the setting. Motion sensors are often used to trigger progressive colour changes in the LED luminaires.
Modern Guru is a translucent ovoid with four huge digital eyes, floating above a ceremonial ring of LEDs. From his mouth flows a ream of absurdist messages, and in a statement about the true nature of lived experience, a new message is delivered when visitors take a photo of Modern Guru – a missive produced only for those who seek to photograph life rather than live in the moment.
The Sun God was developed for the third exhibition. He surveys the installation from the top of a long flight of inflatable steps representing his tongue. When used, fifty separate inflatables make up this extensive feature, one that is strong enough to withstand many audience members simultaneously scaling its expanse to meet the Sun God.
Forest Dancer features a six-metre-wide skirt adorned with LEDS and balances as she does largely through the interplay of geometry and cleverly calculated air pressure. As visitors move through her arms, the motion sensor sets off a bell-like chime to acknowledge their presence, and longer flourishes are gifted upon every seventh visitor.
The Wayward Forest is a cluster of denuded trees, contrasting with the twirling, creatively free Forest Dancer. Like many forests in folklore, this forest has an eerie edge. The Wayward Forest poses questions about the future of AI and what it may mean for humans.
‘AI doesn’t care about sentience. To AI, a tree is a form to be manipulated,' explains Nimrod Weis, Artist and Founder of Eness. 'As sentient creatures, we grasp the deepest significance of trees and, in this way, the Wayward Forest reflects our current concerns about AI.'
With an explosion in international demand but a desire to ensure a lower carbon footprint; a custom plug and play system was developed for all temporary installations. The studio’s industrial designers combined all technical elements into one unit –fans, computer, LED controller, speakers, network and sensors.
By bringing this level of commercial design and manufacturing to the fabrication and build of each temporary artwork; it has made the units easier to transport; and the installation simpler, enabling clients to use a manual to install with relative ease, rather than Eness staff having to fly over the world to install.
Additionally, all inflatable fabric is recycled through a Melbourne-based plastics recycling company. The skins are broken down, processed and turned-back into raw plastic and textiles for reuse in packaging and other plastic-based products.
Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness has earned Eness a Frame Exhibition of the Year award for its ‘insightful’ storytelling and technically-advanced inflatables that are alive with AI.
‘This is an amazingly creative project, and the representation, story, execution, and experience are absolutely captivating,’ said Frame judge and creative director of Tom Postma Design, Matyas Simonyi. ‘The design presents very complex ideas in a surprisingly straightforward manner, as all good exhibitions and installations do. From a sustainability perspective, the reusing and recycling of the installation is well thought out. It is also interesting how the adaptation of the show to different audiences is part of the overall message.’
PROJECT CREDITS
Lighting Design and Supply: Eness
Lead Designers: Nimrod Weis
Client: Eslite Spectrum Corporation
Photo Credits: Te-Fan Wang
Other Credits Video: 8ID.
