Quan Lavender invited me to a preview of Betty Tureaud’s immersive / interactive installation The 9 Art Planets.
Betty describes the piece thus:
The Art Planets is an art installation where I want to give the visitors 9 different emotional feelings, reflected in their subconscious mind. One level is inspired by Char Davies who I think invented the Immersive Virtual Art. I am using space, colors and sound and some interactive objects to reach my goal in The 9 Art Planets. So turn on your sound and music … The Art Planets have a music stream especially composed for this place, by Ultraviolet Alter. a French composer and good friend of mine. Set your light two midday. Sound should be set to hear sound and music. Media should not be set to autoplay, you will see a note where to switch on.
Your journey through these nine planets commences on a Mars-like plain, a Geiger counter clicking away somewhere and a building before you. A small case outside the building will provide you with a visitor’s HUD to get around the installation and also an introductory notecard.
As the name implies, there are nine elements to the installation to visit, with the HUD providing easy access to all of them. Whether you go in the suggested left-to-right order suggested by the HUD (the start location being on the left-hand end of the HUD, or whether you pick destinations according to curiosity is up to you.
Despite some resemblance to parts of the solar system, this is not an installation which presents art against a backdrop of the planets orbiting our sun. Rather, as Betty’s introduction states, the aim is to induce an emotional response based on colour, light, sound, music and interaction. This last part is important, as it is easy to pass through sections and miss interactive elements. Some of these may set you flying, others leave you dancing. Some may require a degree of passive observation. Some are also more active than others – such as the maze, in which you place yourself in the role of a “mouse” seeking the “cheese”. Whether you attempt the hard or easy route is agin up to you…
Given the nature of the piece, it is actually hard to quantify; given the immersive / interactive nature of the various elements, it really is something which has to be explored and experienced. For those of a mind to do so, there are little gifts scattered around the various elements, which can be collected along the way. And again, as Betty’s notes explain, be ready with media; Ultraviolet has produced some wonderful pieces to accompany the installation, and the experience really isn’t the same without them.
All-in-all, very much worth a visit – just even yourself time to explore, experience and enjoy.
The 9 Art Planets opens its doors to the public on Friday, April 19th at 14:00 SLT.
Related Links
- The 9 Art Planets SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
- Art events covered in this blog
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 