The Lumiere Gallery, tucked in the quaint old streets near Gwanghwamun, has made a name for itself in recent years as a spotlight for quality photography exhibitions. From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Bruce Davidson, some of photography`s most prominent names have their works displayed in this small gallery.
So it comes as a surprise -- or perhaps a sign of the times -- to see Lumiere featuring the works of Eelco Brand, a Dutch artist working exclusively with computer generated images.
Brand sets aside the camera and lens in favor of three-dimensional modeling on his computer and creates prints that, while resembling photographs, look more like they belong in a high-tech video game than in your family album. Despite the unconventional medium, however, Brand tackles a number of conventional issues, including the impact of humanity on our natural environment.
In his "Heuvels" -- which translates to "The Hills" -- Brand depicts rolling hills of green forest, interrupted only by disproportionately large cleared plots where human houses stand.
While a typical suburban development would include far more houses and roads connecting them, the approach Brand takes is more powerful in conveying the message of man`s intrusion into Mother Nature.
Indeed, much of Brand`s work is devoted to contrasting nature`s flawless beauty with humanity`s unattractive incursion, whether it be an overpass through a gorge in his "Viaduct" or a plume of smoke in an otherwise perfectly-formed forest in "Rook."
Brand`s depictions of nature, however, are in many ways too perfect -- a simultaneous pro and con of working in computer graphics. This is no better expressed than in his print "SB.digi," a computer-generated image of the tip of a fir tree.
Though no details are spared, not a single pixel of the image is out of place. Every needle of the fir is neatly attached and the coloring is immaculate. Not even your plastic Christmas tree could look healthier and more ordered than this, and certainly no such tree exists in nature.
This sense of perfection continues into a pair of computer-generated movie clips, which accompany the two-dozen prints on display. Using similar techniques of three-dimensional graphic design, Brand utilizes the animations to transport the viewers out of Seoul`s concrete jungle and into the wilderness -- perhaps the outdoors of his native Netherlands.
Upon entering the gallery, visitors will come upon his first clip, entitled "S.movi," which gives the viewer an insect-level view as it scrapes the tops of reeds and the tall grass. Brand combines elements of texture, shading, movement and point-of-view into a single looping clip, complete with audio of birds and insects.
Though movie clips and computer-generated images may be an aberration from Gallery Lumiere`s traditional photography exhibitions, Brand`s exhibition testifies to the changing face of art in new media and the gallery`s quest to stay on the cutting edge.
Eelco Brand`s "Dreamality" runs every day except Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Gallery Lumiere Seoul. The gallery is located behind the Seoul History Museum, accessible via a ten-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5, Exit 7). Gallery talks are offered every day at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Adult admission is 5,000 won. For more information, call (02)517-2134 or visit gallerylumiere.com
By Kim Kyu-heong
(kyukim@heraldm.com)
< 아이디어의 보물섬! 최신 아이디어 모여라! www.idea-club.com >
So it comes as a surprise -- or perhaps a sign of the times -- to see Lumiere featuring the works of Eelco Brand, a Dutch artist working exclusively with computer generated images.
Brand sets aside the camera and lens in favor of three-dimensional modeling on his computer and creates prints that, while resembling photographs, look more like they belong in a high-tech video game than in your family album. Despite the unconventional medium, however, Brand tackles a number of conventional issues, including the impact of humanity on our natural environment.
In his "Heuvels" -- which translates to "The Hills" -- Brand depicts rolling hills of green forest, interrupted only by disproportionately large cleared plots where human houses stand.
While a typical suburban development would include far more houses and roads connecting them, the approach Brand takes is more powerful in conveying the message of man`s intrusion into Mother Nature.
Indeed, much of Brand`s work is devoted to contrasting nature`s flawless beauty with humanity`s unattractive incursion, whether it be an overpass through a gorge in his "Viaduct" or a plume of smoke in an otherwise perfectly-formed forest in "Rook."
Brand`s depictions of nature, however, are in many ways too perfect -- a simultaneous pro and con of working in computer graphics. This is no better expressed than in his print "SB.digi," a computer-generated image of the tip of a fir tree.
Though no details are spared, not a single pixel of the image is out of place. Every needle of the fir is neatly attached and the coloring is immaculate. Not even your plastic Christmas tree could look healthier and more ordered than this, and certainly no such tree exists in nature.
This sense of perfection continues into a pair of computer-generated movie clips, which accompany the two-dozen prints on display. Using similar techniques of three-dimensional graphic design, Brand utilizes the animations to transport the viewers out of Seoul`s concrete jungle and into the wilderness -- perhaps the outdoors of his native Netherlands.
Upon entering the gallery, visitors will come upon his first clip, entitled "S.movi," which gives the viewer an insect-level view as it scrapes the tops of reeds and the tall grass. Brand combines elements of texture, shading, movement and point-of-view into a single looping clip, complete with audio of birds and insects.
Though movie clips and computer-generated images may be an aberration from Gallery Lumiere`s traditional photography exhibitions, Brand`s exhibition testifies to the changing face of art in new media and the gallery`s quest to stay on the cutting edge.
Eelco Brand`s "Dreamality" runs every day except Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Gallery Lumiere Seoul. The gallery is located behind the Seoul History Museum, accessible via a ten-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5, Exit 7). Gallery talks are offered every day at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Adult admission is 5,000 won. For more information, call (02)517-2134 or visit gallerylumiere.com
By Kim Kyu-heong
(kyukim@heraldm.com)
< 아이디어의 보물섬! 최신 아이디어 모여라! www.idea-club.com >
