eyjafjallajökull, joanie lemercier [ANTIVJ]

inspired by the Icelandic volcano, Joanie Lemercier's installation is a feat of immersive audiovisual mapping

Joanie Lemercier’s [ANTIVJ] audiovisual mapping project, Eyjafjallajökull, was inspired by the Icelandic volcano, which wreaked travel havoc across Europe in April 2010.

Joanie takes a new approach to his projection mapping technique focusing on minimal aesthetics and optical illusion to give an uncanny sense of depth to flat surfaces. Projecting sources of light over a scenery painted on large walls, he creates a sense of realism in an imagined landscape of Tron-like clinical and futuristic mountains that also offers and organic and natural wonder.

Joanie has been obsessed by geometry and minimalism for years, and most of his work has been very clinical, cold, and more abstract than figurative or realistic, and he wanted to start working with more organic shapes, and start using curves, less angular patterns. Being fascinated by the relationship between maths, geometry and nature, he wanted to explore that idea in his work, and incorporate some visual elements that would connect geometric patterns and ocean waves, terrain, mountains relief, wind, snow and rain motion.

The concept was to project a layer of light onto the painted visual, and use this “virtual layer” to create depth effects and enhance the visual by adding colours, animations and motion to the still graffiti-like painting. The audience’s senses are progressively challenged as optical illusions question their perception of space.

Joanie describes the end of the piece as a bit more abstract and futuristic, with waves of light going through the wireframe soil and the volcano. He worked with field recordings of the eruption, and an beautiful track from Robert Henke [Monolake].

This project was initially developed during the onedotzero residency at EMPAC in the USA in April 2010 and has since been presented at onedotzero_adventures in motion in London 2010 and at CMODA in Beijing in 2011 as well as numerous other places worldwide.

Commissioned by onedotzero

ARTIST PROFILE

Joanie Lemercier is an artist and co-founder of the  ANTIVJ visual label, a project initiated by a group of European visual artists whose work is focused on the use of projected light and its influence on our perception.

Clearly stepping away from standard setups and techniques, ANTIVJ presents live performances and installations, providing the audience an experience that challenges the senses and creates wonderment.

ANTIVJ have presented work in public spaces [architectural projections] and in galleries [installations] across France, Europe, Brazil, China, South Korea, Canada, USA. Joanie has showcased his work at events like Club Transmediale [Berlin], E-Arts [Shanghai], EMPAC [NY state], Mapping Festival [Geneva], onedotzero festival [London and tour], Elektra [Montreal] and Lux [Oslo] among many others.