Project Brief

Embodying the female subject of a painting by František Kupka.

Description

Being Mme. Kupka (dans les Verticals) is a virtual reality artwork that revisits an iconic 20th century painting by the pioneering abstract artist František Kupka. In Mme. Kupka Among the Verticals (1910-1911), the artist painted his wife Nini immersed in a ethereal field of vertical marks, her body almost fully disappearing (only her face remains visible). It is considered to be one of the first abstract paintings and marks Kupka's transition from figuration to pure abstraction.

Being Mme. Kupka virtually places viewers inside of Kupka's painting, giving them the perspective of his wife. Looking around, they are lost in a mesmerizing composition of prismatic gestures—only their hands remain. The painterly 'verticals' are animated using custom software. An atmospheric piano soundtrack by Chris Carlson sets the tone and influences the visual composition.

Being Mme. Kupka is available for sale as a HD video via Digital Objects.

Exhibition History

Wilsonville Festival of Arts. Wilsonville, OR. June 2019.

Project Specs

Format: Realtime software with virtual reality headset
Duration: Continuous
Year of Production: 2019

Tags

Verticals, abstract painting, František Kupka, Mme. Kukpa dans les Verticals, experimental, abstraction, digital art, visual music, modern, virtual reality, 1910s, re-creation, animation, Leap Motion, embodiment, Unity3D