Artificial kingdom IV

Part of a series of kinetic installations with variable geometry where the artist employs similar technical and formal processes, this version of Artificial Reigns spans four floors. Suspended above the room, Artificial Reign IV comprises forty-five flexible and translucent sculptures emitting a shimmering bluish light, gently breathing. Through their arrangement, behaviors, and shapes, the group evokes a colony of creatures floating in water.

Equipped with a sensitive electronic system, the ensemble can “sense” human presence and react spontaneously. Like living organisms, the inflatable electroluminescent cells activate upon visitors’ approach: they contract and expand, wriggle, and illuminate more fervently, then, in a lazy wave, spread their agitation throughout the entire ecosystem.

By mimicking natural phenomena using artificial materials and systems, a process called “biomimicry,” the work explores the interaction between organic and technological worlds while probing the dynamics that underpin their ambiguous relationships.

In tune with exhalations and inhalations, luminous flickers, and fleeting jerks, Artificial Reign IV unfurls an aerial dance that contrasts with the imposing volumes and sharp lines of architecture, transforming the space into an underwater abyss of mysterious beauty.

— Ariane Plante, Curator