A new exhibition currently in Hyderabad offers an immersive digital experience
French artist Beatrice de FaZe’s bond with Hyderabad is so deep that she is turning to augmented reality animation to express her feelings about living in the city.
Unleashing the story of a woman’s experiences in Hyderabad, her new show, ‘A Woman in the Dance-City’ is currently running at Art Walkway, Park Hyatt (till December 13). It comprises of 12 paintings, which are like a dream inspired by the granite rocks on the Deccan Plateau.
different dimensions
Visitors can watch the paintings come to life by downloading the In.Space app and scanning each painting to discover spatial, narrative and sound dimensions. In this series, a visitor sees 12 entities, spaces and energies: Buddha of the Rocks, Dragonfly, Trees, Source, Rest, Dance.
Unveiling the various visual layers to ‘Buddhist’ artwork, one can reveal a novel and personal experience. “I am delighted that the canvas evokes diverse experiences,” says the artist, adding that the painting takes him back to his childhood and the two Buddha statues at home. “There was war and violence in the world and feelings that I did not understand. I saw Buddha’s smile every day and I had questions for him,” she says.
In the show, two worlds meet on canvas to bring back memories of their artist’s days in Paris. Beatrice created a painting 30 years ago that depicted a film and the people involved – the writer, the actor, the guy who brings water to a film set, and the production crew. This enchanting world mixes with rocks and the spiritual universe of Buddha from Borobudur Temple in Indonesia. “It’s a notion I had about the world 30 years ago. I understood some things then but could not explain them. Similarly, I see some things now but cannot explain,” she adds.
Beatrice delves deeply into the material (material) and non-material (spiritual) concepts in her works. “I dream and travel through my art; I meditate when I paint; they transform me,” she says. There is a space for the mixing of the future. Buddhas are at the core of the paintings. “The Buddhas show another world and space that is good. He also teaches me that the stream of consciousness can be transmitted through painting or other creative forms. It opens doors through the other senses,” she explains.
The artist has constantly navigated between painting and interactive installation and decided to bring these two expressions together. She chose the AR format for these works because AR allows her to show “3D space, music, stories, and the different worlds that a painting might consist of (not counting on the sensibility and imagination of the visitors only).” Painting is like showing a part of the soul. And paintings have infinite soul.”
Beatrice, who typically works with multiple layers, mixed elements and techniques, explains the process, “Thanks to my earlier research, I came to understand how different elements are needed to go back to the origins of my paintings. How to connect, and create a journey into the depths of the canvas.”
team work
She has previously worked with Matthew Constance (music) and Guillaume Everard (AR Developers). “It is easier to tell a story with good partners because they understand it better. They understand my point of view and it is important to understand where we are going as a team,” she says.
Programmers used the UNITY program to develop in-space applications. While Matthew Constance provided the music for each painting, Beatrice provided the 2D images and a landscape, and the team worked together on the spatialization.
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