[ISEA2023] Artist Statement: Adrien M & Claire B — Acqua Alta

Artist Statement

Southern Winter Exhibitions 2023 at Hangars Numériques, May 16 – 21, then August 1 – 15 

Acqua Alta: Crossing the mirror, 2019-2020
A pop-up and augmented reality book.

By viewing them through a tablet, the ten double-pages of the book Acqua Alta – Crossing the Mirror become small theaters, where a dance form unfolds thanks to the custom-developed application. Folded white papers and ink drawings meet in a graphic purity and the simplicity of black and white, the artificial life of dancing miniature beings in a world imbued with the imagination of water. An experience at the crossroads of theater, dance, comics, animated films and video games.

The Acqua Alta – First Rain drawing is an autonomous board, an extension of the world of the book, which constitutes the setting for a dance scene, visible in augmented reality.

Designed, produced and edited by Adrien M & Claire B, the Acqua Alta project tells a story. A woman, a man, a house. An absurd daily life full of discord. But one rainy day, life turns upside down: the rising waters engulf the house in a sea of ​​ink. The woman slips and disappears. All that remains of her is her hair. Living. It is the story of a catastrophe, particular and universal. It is the story of a loss and a quest. It is the story of the fear of the strange and otherness, and of its taming.

Technical description:
App – Free – The augmented reality experience is accessible with the AQA application, functional on recent phones and tablets (2017-2021) and compatible with ARKit (iOS) and ARCore (Android) on adrienm-claireb.net/acqua-alta/app

https://www.am-cb.net/projets/acqua-alta-la-traversee-du-miroir

  • Claire Bardainne (FR) is a visual artist with a background in graphic design and scenography. Her research focuses on the pictorial and graphic imaginary, graphic signs, especially in their space-constructive capacity. She joins forces with Adrien Mondot in 2011 to materialize a common artistic project: Adrien M & Claire B. https://www.am-cb.net
  • Adrien Mondot (FR) is a multidisciplinary artist, computer scientist and juggler. He is interested in movement, and works at the intersection of juggling art and computer innovation. Founder of the Compagnie Adrien M in 2004, he partners with Claire Bardainne in 2011 to re-structure the Company as “Adrien M & Claire B”. https://www.am-cb.net