Keali-LookingOutwards04
(I was so tempted to do one of Theo/Emily’s works again like Connected Worlds because I loved them so much but I wrote about their lecture in LookingOutwards01 so…)
The work I chose is Lit Tree by Mimi Son, an interactive artwork consisting of a real tree in conjunction with digital emulsion: the tree is augmented with video projection, resulting in patterns created from the light hitting the leaves, which act as voxels. The project is described to allow the tree to have a “visceral conversation with human visitors”, thereby becoming a sort of aesthetic object. This project coincides with my usual preferences when it comes to interactive artwork, which is why it appeals to and interests me: nature-based, with a calm, serene, and intimate atmosphere as the audience experiences a subtle, private, albeit dynamic relationship with the single tree. As someone who also usually admires digital work on a screen–immediate and through an interface, this was impressively novel to me in that it combines technical features with a real-life, physical object to create yet an immersive conversation between human and nature. The work also feels very well-resolved because of the specific attribute of light being chosen to be utilized with the tree’s leaves, thus relying on the varying placement, space, surface, and texture to output the beautiful patterns.