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Valedictory Project

VALEDIRECTORY is the result of a process that started from traditional sculpture and the need to explore themes related to the imaginary and mythological world. The first need was the exploration of hybrid creatures, some from world mythologies and others from experimental compositions. In subsequent academic steps and with the need to explore 3D machines, the creatures moved to the mythologies of Europe with the main stimuli being Nosferatu and Lovecraft's stories of Cthulhu. Sometimes by experimenting with individual beings and others by inserting them into virtual environments the exploration continued until the environments and atmospheres gained ground without a specific character, but by placing the viewer in that role. Drawing on ancient Greek mythology and the writers of the time, but also the writers of today, the inspiration focused on Hesiod's Theogony and his view of the Underworld. So, by reading the text and gathering information from various sources and contemporary writers, the composition of a landscape began with the aim of an immersive experience, which would not necessarily have as its goal the association of the final landscape with the reading. In this experience, the viewer can feel and experience whatever he or she wants, without any limitations. For each person the work may mean something different and have a different reading, depending on the period of time of each person who comes into contact with the work. For some it may be an exit from a difficult situation, for others it may depict the path from life to death, for others it may be punishment, for others it may be catharsis or rebirth. In almost every case, it is a farewell, whether pleasant or unpleasant, as every day the present dies to give birth to the future. The aim of the installation is to introduce the viewer to a transcendental world, making him forget for a moment where he really is and feel lost in this space. Based on the logic of virtual reality, the space is framed by large-scale projections in series, so as to form the impression of a single space. The spatial sound aims to enhance the atmosphere of the otherworldly place and implies the presence of transcendental beings that are not visible to the viewer. To further enhance the experience, the recruitment of spatial scenting techniques, with different smells at each point that are consistent with the image, activate the sense of smell and harmoniously complement the place. On an experimental level, the attempt to integrate the sense of touch into the experience is active, with elements that go out into space, inextricably linked to the projected images, where the viewer can touch and feel part of this world. The possibilities of the work can be extended from immersive installation to film sets or theatrical performances. The work can also be viewed through a VR Headset or be integrated into the logic of augmented reality, where through a mobile or tablet, the viewer can see this transcendental, imaginary world as an extension of the real one

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Scents

1. Sandalwood and white sage with bay leaves from Acheron 

2. Scented lavender and jasmine sticks

3. Scented lavender sticks

4. Palo Santo wood from Peru

6 Projectors

5 Speakers

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First Presentation

Fine Arts School of Athens

September 2023

Process

Based on the texts of Hesiod and his descriptions of the boundaries of the living world and the world of the dead with the Bronze Gate of Tartarus as a landmark, the first depictions began with the separation of these two worlds into two forests centered on a sacred tree that it presents the contradiction of the nature of these two worlds.

The original approach to the presentation style involved vivid landscapes with ambient motion. Thus, four large frames would be placed, as windows to this transcendental world.

The next approach concerned the height position of the camera in this space but also a more painterly approach to the image, in a logic of a single huge image that would be presented along a space.

Alternatives/Additionals

The rivers associated with the Underworld were five. Acheron, Styx, Oblivion, Pyriphlegethon and Cocytos.

Making off

Setting up the final scene in Lumion 11.

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