Client: Culturespaces Foundation

Overview

JOURNEY is a 4′ immersive audiovisual experience, telling the story of photons, primary elements of light, from the moment they approach the eye until the brain reconstructs them into perceivable forms.

Using Atelier’s 140 video projectors, 50 speakers, 3,000 m2 of projection surface as a canvas, JOURNEY’s storytelling creates a truly unique immersive world.

Goals

Culturespaces commissioned the project as a part of "Immersive Art Festival" competition at Atelier Des Lumieres, 18-24 October, 2019. The brief was to design an immersive audiovisual project specific to the space, and to create a concept and content utilizing the space perception of the audience at its best. Nohlab took the concept of light and chose to create an immersive storytelling depicting the act of seeing. How light was born, its travel to and throughout the layers of the eye and finally the visual perception process was immaculately designed to be portrayed. The trick was to have the audience experience the journey of photons as if they were a part of it, not only as spectators of a screening.

Process

Nohlab designed the storytelling and audiovisual language of the piece, compartmentalizing every layer the light particles pass. While directing 5 visual and 3 sound artists according to its design interpretation and creative insight, the skeleton was constructed placing every part in the general aesthetics of an authentic story structure. The production process included creating a customized visual template for dividing and placing the 50,000 pixel content, tailoring it for Atelier's server system and 140 projectors.

Additional Information

Journey received three of the four awards at the Immersive Art Festival: Jury Special Prize, Best Sound Design Prize, and the Grand Prix - which was voted 50% by a professional jury and 50% by the audience using an app designed for the visitors.