Art is supposed to take you places. Virtual reality, mixed reality, augmented reality—all kinds of alternate reality have the technical ability to do that. When the two come together, the experience can be ‘moving’. In a one-of-its-kind exhibition ongoing at Alliance Francaise, Delhi (March 2 to 19), stories unfold in augmented reality. Titled Inspace, the 12 paintings on display tell the tale of a woman in Hyderabad.
“Hyderabad, because that’s where I live,” says French-Belgian Beatrice de Fays, aka B2Fays, the artist behind the exhibition. “The ideas behind all of these are linked to the granite rocks of Hyderabad. I have a connection with those rocks. There’s some kind of energy that I feel,” she exclaims. And it shows, as all the paintings appear to have been carved on the rocks, where de Fays captures it all—the ruggedness, the history they hold, and the flora and fauna they nurture.
Here is where the augmented reality comes into play. Scanning a painting with the in.space app brings it alive, turning it into a 3-D experience. For example, scanning through one of her paintings titled Bouddha, the story unfolds of a girl angered by her polluted surroundings. “When you are angry, you behave in a certain way,” quips de Fays. Suddenly, an imposing image of the Buddha appears, oozing tranquility and bringing in peace.
“While earlier she was angry as she couldn’t change a thing, now the Buddha has brought with him a sense of peace,” she highlights. To this, one wonders how much of the art on display is derived from the life of this artist, whose enthusiasm for everything art and spirituality is palpable, as she employs signs and gestures that often bridge through the language divide.
Speaking of her process, the artist explains, “First, I create the painting. Then, I separate all the elements to bring them back together in the 3-D space,” adding that as a painter, the process makes her immensely happy, because with this, “I can change my paintings.”
Besides ideating and painting, de Fays also does the voice-over, along with Bari Kumar. The augmented reality has been developed by Guillaume Evrard, and music by Mathieu Constans for the exhibition.
All these elements create an experience that lets viewers get completely immersed in the art, the details, and the storytelling.
And that’s precisely the intent. “Being an artist, I use technology as I want to offer people an experience that can change them,” she says, as her artworks bridge the gap between the outer and the inner world, and between the ancient rocks aged at least 2,500 years and the technology of today.
While Hyderabad and its granite rocks are a personal experience for the artist, the artworks also hold the potential to stoke a conversation on conservation.
Hyderabad is home to ancient granite rocks, which, even though protected by the government, are weathering away due to creeping urbanisation.
