Art is no longer something we observe; it’s something we step into. In recent years, artists have increasingly turned to immersive technologies and spatial storytelling to reframe how we engage with the world around us – specifically when it comes to nature. In 2019, Barbican Centre’s Our Time on Earth exhibition filled the gallery with works that navigated a rewilded city, a bridge made of roots and the underground world of soil. Right now, at Kew Gardens, Marshmallow Laser Feast’s Of the Oak installation is allowing people to look inside a tree – to ‘see’ inner workings and processes that are usually invisible. To bring the piece to life, the collective used LiDAR, high-resolution photogrammetry and CT scanning. It’s high-tech and rooted in cutting-edge science, but traditional media can also be immersive, with painters and sculptors continually finding new ways to embody animal, plant and planetary perspectives.
Article link: https://aestheticamagazine.com/ecosystems-up-close/