Hanging from the ceiling at Alliance Francaise de Madras’ white cube gallery, are curtains of art that revel in motion. They invite the viewer to walk through a labyrinth of art enhanced by Augmented Reality (AR). As one goes forth armed with a phone camera, these seemingly static artworks are seen to be in motion. In Tokyo-based illustrator and animator Bruno Mangyoku’s work titled Never Trust Your Friends, a man with beady eyes is seated in a palatial setting — seemingly sinister — as a dog lies in front of him. When viewed through a smartphone with an AR-enabled app called Maison Tangible, the scene quickly shifts as the setting turns inky black and the dog, with bloodshot eyes, takes over the seat. All in a cycle between day and night.
Curated by Aurélien Jeanney, Midi Minuit, thus reinterprets the artworks of 11 artists based in France, to create an endless cycle between day and night through AR. The app Maison Tangible, through which the works are viewed, was created by Aurélien in 2016. “The idea was to mix different art universes into one collection. So I decided to take the crème de la crème of French illustration, even if their worlds, techniques and skills were different. We unified the collection around one theme (the cycle between day and night) and colour palette,” says Paris-based Aurélien. Take for instance, minimalist illustrator Tom Haugomat’s The Tide. With a very small range of colours, he manages to trace a seaside scene as seen through the movement of the tide.
