Submergence (2013)

An immersive walkthrough experience visualising virtual form and movement in physical space.

Submergence places us in the midst of a series of abstracted scenes, landscapes, energy fields. Dynamic, three dimensional, penetrable paintings in light and sound, the work draws us in, surrounds us and immerses us in a roiling ocean of illumination, of media, of presence. The visions are ephemeral, transparent, weightless, liminal, akin to lucid dreams. We can see through them, walk through them.

Submergence is in some senses multiple works rolled into one. It consists of five distinct movements; each its own atmosphere, ambience, ecosystem of dynamic but balanced forces. They are usually played in an ascending sequence of intensity, culminating in an ecstatic crescendo.

On another level, the work presents itself as a physical cube of virtual presence and energy placed in our physical world; something other and beguiling, there but not there. Submergence transforms the space it inhabits (and the work has been shown in a very broad range of spaces), becoming a beacon, a focal point, altering the space it occupies yet not over writing it. It illuminates hidden corners, shifts, alters perspective and feel–it is inconstant dialogue with its location. It is also in dialogue with those who visit the space or the work, providing a social focus, abridge to a shared experience that sparks conversation, contemplation, reflection, discussion.

“The origin and meaning of [the various scenes in Submergence] are hard to define. To me, they are conjurings from deep within, resonances from distant and blurred memories, feelings and emotions, concrete but abstract. They emerge from an extended process of sketching with sound, light, colour and movement, but they are just that–shifting evocations that cannot be described in words, and therefore fully open to personal interpretation and contextualisation. I understand the works resonate in very different and personal ways for each person, but for me I know when I’ve hit the spot, when I have tuned the light, sound, movement, energy so that it gives me a specific, but usually indescribable, feeling.” – Anthony Rowe, Creative Director.

Submergence uses controlled light to visualise movement, presence and textures in physical space. Thousands of individually controlled points of light suspended in space are used as a medium to create an impression of imagined forces and presence; dynamic and otherwise invisible digital artefacts that co-habit in our shared social spaces.

The result is an ephemeral walkthrough space with an augmented digital layer – otherworldly, luminescent, immersive, evocative…

The piece moves through several movements, creating a semi-linear 12 minute piece.

Submergence was originally shown at Gallery ROM, Oslo, in January 2013. Submergence (2016) is an incremental development of the original Submergence (2013). To date Submergence has been shown in over 70 spaces and events on six continents, most recently:

Wonderspaces in both Philadelphia PA and Austin TX USA
Centre for International Light Art, Unna Germany. 
Ars Pedregal, Mexico City 
Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.
Tauranga Art Gallery
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

Image credits: Kevin Lewis, Paul Blakemore, Orbie Pullen, Squidsoup