A new digital art presentation system was recently introduced to the public in REXKL’s voluminous first floor hall, the site of the iconic former REX cinema. REXPERIENCE’s debut multi-artist exhibition titled “Other World” runs until the 20th of January, 2024, with viewing seven days a week from 10am to 10pm. Tickets can be purchased online or onsite at REXKL.
Other World comprises three video presentations that wash the theater’s walls and floor with colours, fractals and forms that jive to the rhythm of accompanying soundtracks.
Foreign Nature by Julius Horsthuis and Ben Lukas Boysen relies heavily upon mathematical algorithms to compose rich tapestries of undulating fractals and kaleidoscopic swirls. Rather than emulating immersion or interactivity, the sensation is more akin to being enveloped inside complex structures as they expand and ultimately blanket everything around you like an approaching tornado ablaze in color.
Frame grab from Foreign Nature by Julius Horsthuis and Ben Lukas Boysen
Yume by Fahmi Hosnan and Ashish Khilnani features scenes from traditional Japanese artwork, this in itself offering an intriguing juxtaposition between analog traditional and digital contemporary. Some of the individual movements of objects seem intentionally jerky or disjointed, not unlike old Clutch Cargo cartoons. One slight edge for Yume over Foreign Nature is the separate imagery on different wall segments, in particular the left and right walls that offer additional simultaneous engagement. Conversely, Foreign Nature tends to generate most of its imagery from the center of the front wall before spanning out to cover the entire room. Where Yume’s objects and forms are tightly composed to smaller sections and highly defined, Foreign Nature’s extensive projection on massive surfaces at times stretches the resolution of the visuals beyond comfortable levels, especially on the floors immediately adjacent the viewers. This can dampen the immersive effect of video projections and detach the viewer from the scene.
Frame grab from Yume by Fahmi Hosnan and Ashish Khilnani
The final presentation, Annihilation by Colas Fiszman and Jonas Margraf, was the unanimous favourite in our viewing group. The nuanced show chose a simpler, more approachable storyline featuring a video-captured projection of a female dancer in a special body suit fitted with dozens of light points to mark and track her movements despite not being on stage. This figure interacts on stage with the surrounding scene as it evolves. In recent years, these suits have become increasingly popular in the performance arts. The human element helps engage the viewer and moves the collective eyes of attendees through stunning background compositions bathed in white or red projected pixels before giving way to backdrops of natural colored lights that also grow and dance harmoniously with what I believe was the most interesting and most tightly integrated soundtrack of the three presentations. Jonas Margraf’s music blends well with the setting and offers ample 360-degree spatial tracking to move the viewer back and forth with the moving images. Overall, we felt Annihilation offers the best example of a choreographed video projection of the three.
Frame Grab from Annihilation by Colas Fiszman and Jonas Margraf
All three presentations in Other World seem to be at the stage of technical development where they rely more on large-scale video projections for narrating tales rather than actual attempts at creating augmented reality or virtual interaction. This will certainly change parallel to advances in computer processing and related technology, including the application programs, projectors, lighting, and sound equipment.
Likewise, as more local video artists receive additional time to work with this specific space, our hope is that we will see clear examples of actual site-specific projection mapping that effectively utilizes the unique characteristics of such an iconic building, thereby advancing one step closer to true immersion.
Apart from some stray lights, a protruding stage, and incongruous brick wall finishings that clash with some of the projected content, the universally beloved REXKL space sports the nostalgia and artistic appeal to complement digital performances of this nature. While two of the first three teams shown in the debut event were international, the local future also appears bright as Malaysia can already draw homegrown expertise from a strong contingent of native, regional, and expat collaborators working in digital video, computer programming, large-scale event planning, light shows, projection mapping, and related fields.
Frame Grab from Annihilation by Colas Fiszman and Jonas Margraf
Sebastian Jurkowski, the CEO and creative director of RXP.KL, recently proclaimed in an article in The Star by Hanis Maketab that “we’re redefining what an art gallery can be – it’s a chance to step into a world where technology and creativity meet in amazing ways.”
Having seen countless shows of this nature on four different continents over the past decade, I find Jurkowski’s statement to be somewhat optimistic, given the lukewarm global art market responses to all but the finest productions in this field and the continuing reluctance throughout the visual art world to accept digital projections as anything more than video entertainment and side shows at art fairs. Let's not forget that Disney and other cinematic firms have been producing similar presentations for over forty years, so it's not exactly groundbreaking. For now, let’s assume that computer-driven multimedia presentations are readily accepted and will continue to gain additional favor as the visual aesthetics and technical presentability become truly state-of-the-art. By this I mean presentations that advance beyond washing walls with over-enlarged video to become sharply detailed and engaging experiences that introduce innovative visual concepts that are truly immersive and interactive.
Global standards in this genre are high, but at that level they are VERY expensive to produce. Other World is a solid start for this young group. From what I’ve seen over the past couple of years, there is plenty of local talent to reach and even surpass those standards when given the support, resources, and unique venues such as REXKL from which to build.