Sights, sounds, sensations: Immersive art exhibition 'reSOUND' stimulates the senses

Arts & Design

Published: 02 Jul. 2024, 15:40

Sights, sounds, sensations: Immersive art exhibition 'reSOUND' stimulates the senses

″Ocean″ (2022) by d'strict [D'STRICT]

Feeling the air conditioner’s breeze on your skin may seem like the best option to escape the heat waves in summer, but the visual satisfaction of seemingly being swallowed by overwhelmingly powerful, hyper-realistic ocean waves can achieve the same effect.

This was reflected in the one-minute-long, large-scale installation titled “Ocean” (2022) as part of the “reSOUND” exhibition, which opened in June at the historic Culture Station Seoul 284 in Jung District, central Seoul. The venue is a restored prototype of the old Seoul Station. It opened as a cultural complex in 2011.

Immersive Arte Museum media exhibit opens in Dubai

“reSOUND” celebrates the 20th anniversary of d’strict, the Korean company that founded the immersive media art exhibition space franchise Arte Museum. The museum has branches in Gangneung in Gangwon and Yeosu in South Jeolla, as well as in Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Chengdu in China and Dubai.

“Ocean” was created by d’strict’s in-house creative group, which has also produced works for the digital billboards at Coex’s K-pop Square in southern Seoul and Times Square in New York.

″Flow″ by d'strict [D'STRICT]

This media exhibition, however, doesn’t solely focus on the visual aspects. It’s meant to be a multisensory show that excites all five senses, according to Lee Sung-ho, the CEO of d’strict, during a press conference at the show in June.

All eight works on display, created by d’strict, Monom, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Fillip Studios, SOSO, In Yeong-hye and Miniyu, may not fall under the same theme or art form, but they collectively elicit effects of synesthesia, a neurological condition in which multiple senses cross, therefore creating a “sixth sense.”

“We started wondering about which realms we haven’t explored with our media exhibitions in the past,” Lee said. “And one of them, we realized, was sound. We thought it was a genre that was the most abstract and would reject preconceptions.”

“Imagined Worlds″ by Monom [SHIN MIN-HEE]

In order to fully appreciate the auditory sensation, the visuals in some works had to be ruled out, like in “Imagined Worlds,” a 20-minute-long, 4-D sound installation by the Berlin-based artist collective Monom. Taking place in a pitch-black room that’s barely visible enough to see one’s path to get to the block-shaped seats to sit on, the experience relies solely on the ears.

It imagines an alternative world where humans don’t exist, roaming with unknown, unperceivable creatures. Throbbing, ambient noises fill the room, with thunderous thumps that sound like the stomps of a dinosaur, creating a “sonic cinema.”

The human desire to explore mysterious domains continues with “Echo,” also by d’strict. The kinetic sound installation is comprised of a long, black, tower-like figure that emits rotating and blinding orange light. The installation features unsettling soundscapes that simulate being sucked into a black hole, ultimately re-enacting the intense energy of a strong gravitational field.

″Echo″ by d'strict [SHIN MIN-HEE]

The sonification was based on actual black hole observation data provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A handful of the media installations are interactive, like the “Seated Catalog of Feelings” (2018) by the U.S.-based digital art studio SOSO, which puts visitors in some uncomfortable situations, which — hopefully — they won’t have to experience in real life.

Seated in chairs, visitors put headphones on while specific text is projected onto the floor in front of them explaining what they are experiencing. There are 90 variations, including being stepped on by Chihuahuas, garlic being minced, popping popcorn in a microwave oven or sharpening a pencil.

The Korea JoongAng Daily’s reporter was trampled on by horses — and the feeling, thankfully not painful, could be felt by the entire body, which was accomplished through vibrations.

d'strict CEO Lee Sung-ho's young son strokes the wall in ″Tactile Orchestra″ (2018) by Fillip Studios during a press conference for the ″reSOUND″ exhibition at Culture Station Seoul 284 in central Seoul in June. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

The exhibition makes sure that visitors can dive into the sense of touch too, with “Tactile Orchestra” (2018) by the Netherlands-based Fillip Studios. A furry black wall, which visitors are free to touch, is placed inside a room in Culture Station Seoul 284.

CEO Lee’s young son was present during the press conference to demonstrate how the piece encourages visitors to touch its surface with broad strokes to evoke orchestral sounds and create harmonies with others.

Lee said that this exhibition marks the launch of the d’strict Art Project, in which d’strict will continue to collaborate with more external artists to produce digital art, in contrast to mainly working with in-house artists in the past.

A visitor tries on headphones to listen to ASMR while sitting on cloud-like cushions as part of ″Floating Mind″ by In Yeong-hye and Miniyu [D'STRICT]

This project means that d’strict will broaden its horizons as a media art hub. Up until now, Arte Museum would present pieces that were “intuitive” and were “describable in three lines or less.”

“Our works did not necessarily require a specific narrative or message,” Lee said. But now the company aims to turn that around. “It’s our attempt to expand the realm of the media art experience.”

“reSOUND” continues until Aug. 25. Culture Station Seoul 284 is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. except Mondays. The exhibition is free.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]