'Re-Génération' Reimagines the Complex Beauty of Nature in 360°

Re-génération is a collaborative work that brings together visual artists, composers and scientists using both the SAT’s immersive expertise and colossal dome as creative tool for exploring the subtleties of science and to question how technology redefines human perception.

Dreamt up by David McConville, director of integrative research at the Society for Art and Technology (SAT), put together by new media artist and professor at the NAD School of Digital Arts, Animation and Design - UQAC, Yan Breuleux, and produced by the SAT, this creation premiered at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris during the 2015 COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.

Turning complex natural events & scientific concepts into a poetic and immersive audiovisual narrative, “The project was inspired by inspiration itself—literally the breathing of Earth within its respiratory (carbon) cycle,” McConville tells the Creators Project. “We set out to explore how perspectives on climate change could shift if we experience ourselves as part of planetary breathing cycles. In addition to the breathing out (or "expiration") of CO2 emissions, the piece draws attention to the breathing in ("inspiration") within soils, forests, and oceans. Understanding how to synchronize with these cycles through regenerative design is essential for stabilizing Earth's climate,” he adds.

On the other hand, Breuleux acts as a creative conductor/coordinator. "My function was to put together all the energy of all the artists in order to visualize the concepts and ideas of David. I also produced some of the animations,” he explains. Thus, this unique collaborative workflow gathers many different actors, each contributing their own vision and aesthetic, giving live to a giant A/V ecosystem that explores life cycles in a creative way. Organic elements and architectures merge into a dynamic visualisation that culminates on with a live vocal performance by Quebecois singer Diane Dufresne.

Generated by a combination of tools including Cinema4D, Dominic St-Amant’s creation tool for immersive content, Camsphere, and Element 3D, an After Effects plug-in operating as an Open GL 3D object-based particle rendering engine, Ré-Génération opens new creative perspectives within immersive tools says Breuleux. “This production has opened a new field of research in the visualization of scientific metaphors,” he concludes, telling us that this narrative would not have been possible without using 360° projection.

If you’re in Paris early December, Re-Génération runs from the 1st through the 13th. Click here for more info.

Credits:

SAT, producer

David McConville, scenario

Yan Breuleux, director of the project

Marie Brassard, narration

Jan Pienkowski, composer music & sound

Jean Ranger, Co-artistic director

Sam & Sam, 3D modeling & animation

Sylvain Marotte, 3D animation and immersive capture

The SAT’s immersive team.

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