SUPERBLUE Announces Programme For Final Weeks Of A.A. Murakami's Multisensory Experience In London

Special programming concludes Superblue's first activation in the U.K..

By: Mar. 23, 2022
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Superblue, the venture dedicated to experiential art, announces a special series of events offering unique ways for audiences to engage with and experience A.A. Murakami's installation Silent Fall, which runs until 8 May 2022, marking the conclusion of Superblue's first temporary installation in the United Kingdom. Specifically created for Burlington Gardens, the installation builds on A.A. Murakami's practice of creating immersive experiences that dissolve the borders between technology and nature offering a dynamic multi-sensory experience engaging sight, smell, sound and touch.

The events programme includes a beginner-friendly workshop led by creative technologist and 3D Motion Designer Tigris Li on Wednesday 23 March. Participants will learn how to build hardware and code with Arduino to create their own MP3 player which they will use to record sounds from the installation. Tigris Li's practice explores the interplay between humans and technology and past projects include 3D-animated campaigns for Selfridges and fashion designer Christopher Kane. Artist Laxmi Hussain will lead a Botanical drawing workshop Friday 6 May teaching participants the meditative art of botanical drawing, engaging with the installation's exploration of the boundary between technology and nature.

Silent Fall takes its reference from The Fall from Earthly Paradise, an allegory that finds new meaning in a time of increasing concern about an imminent environmental collapse. Mirrored on all sides, the installation extends toward the infinite like a seemingly endless forest with trees of bone-white branches forming a futuristic landscape. Visitors walk among the trees, each of which produces hundreds of misty bubbles - serving as a metaphor for the transient, fleeting nature of existence. As each bubble is caught by hand and bursts, it unlocks scents from nature's vast array of aromas, such as moss, rain and pine. Individually and collectively, the bubbles act as a library of scents that recall the sensation of walking through a forest.

The installation forms part of an ongoing body of work the artists have pioneered called 'Ephemeral Tech', which are installations that employ the use of sophisticated technology and engineering with an interface of ephemeral materials. The ethereal states of matter are experienced with all the senses, culminating in immersive environments where the boundaries between technology and natural forces are dissolved to create new landscapes and unnatural phenomena.

"It has been wonderful to see audiences engage with Superblue's first major experience mounted in London and the environment that A.A. Murakami created. We are looking forward to bringing more dynamic experiences to London and even more cities around the world in the near future," said Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst, Superblue Co founder and CEO.

Among the other Superblue offerings for audiences around the world this spring are the exhibition Every Wall is a Door at Superblue Miami, the company's long-term flagship venue, featuring experiences by world renowned artists and artist collectives James Turrell, Es Devlin, teamLab and DRIFT. In Los Angeles, artist Glenn Kaino presents an exhibition in partnership with Superblue and The Atlantic magazine opening in May.

To book, please visit http://www.superblue.com/london

A.A. Murakami (Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami) are the artists behind Studio Swine. The duo's work has explored themes of regional identity in the age of globalisation, and investigations into the future of resources and the development of new and innovative materials. Their unique sensory installations are an ongoing series of works, which follows the tradition of artists emulating nature. In the same way ancient civilisations made structures to chart the passage of the sun or early cave paintings to depict the natural world, A.A. Murakami pursues an innate human desire to use art to connect with and revere the natural systems on which our existence depends. 'Ephemeral Tech' explores this intrinsic driver of creation using technology to evoke both primordial origins and future worlds.

Notable projects include Infinity Blue (2018), a monumental breathing sculpture that pays homage to one of the world's smallest but most important organisms, cyanobacteria, on permanent display at the Eden Project in Cornwall; and New Spring (2017), a tree-like structure that emits scented mist bubbles, commissioned by COS. The artists' work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and M+, Hong Kong.

Superblue is a ground-breaking new enterprise dedicated to supporting artists in realising their most ambitious visions and engaging audiences with experiential art. Its network of artists encompasses the leading practitioners of experiential art, whose practices catalyse engagement with the most pressing issues of our time and generate new perspectives on our world.

Through its experiential art centres, which are specifically designed for presenting large-scale, immersive art installations, Superblue provides artists with expanded opportunities to transport audiences to the new worlds they create. Superblue additionally acts as an advocate and agent for experiential artists by fostering opportunities for them to expand the reach of their work through collaborations with museums, collectors, visual and performing arts festivals, architects, municipalities and place-makers. Superblue provides these partners with unparalleled expertise and support for the production, installation and presentation of large-scale experiential works, through collaborative presentations, public and private commissions and acquisitions.

In the coming years, Superblue will open new experiential centres across the U.S. and internationally and is developing augmented and virtual reality platforms for artists who are exploring our rapidly evolving relationship with the digital realm.

For more information about Superblue, visit superblue.com.

Born and raised in Montréal, Canada. Tigris Li is a creative Technologist & 3D Motion Designer based in London. Designing moments in time, Tigris' practice explores playful & surreal anecdotes of modern society and the interplay between humans and technology to foster emotional intelligence.

Formerly a national figure skater turned Minecraft Youtuber with 1 million+ video views at the age of 12 - she now shares her practice to millions via TikTok to educate and empower the next generation of innovators in electronic engineering and experience design.

From hardware technology to fashion, Tigris has worked with clients such as Arduino to develop conceptual prototypes in physical computing as well as the likes of Selfridges and Christopher Kane to produce 3D animated fashion campaigns. TIGRIS is an experiential design and creative engineering company founded by Tigris Li.

Hussain draws inspiration from the forms encountered in everyday life, from the body, the tenderness of motherhood, the natural shapes of the body as a vessel and its evolution throughout life. Working in several different media, Laxmi is driven by experimentation, constantly exploring new techniques, and searching for the shapes and subjects they express best. Often, her work includes elements that appear incomplete, obliging the viewer to pause and engage with the artwork, filling in the absences themselves rather than just dismissing it and moving on.



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