Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, invited artist at the main exhibition of the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia presents two works, Cosmorama, a diorama of a Mars landscape, and Endodrome, a virtual reality environment, and the artist’s first VR artwork. Endrome is a special project spported by HTC VIVE Arts.
Cosmorama locates the viewer within a vision of the fourth planet from the sun, its surface rendered in shades of of red with embedded black volcanic stones. Created in collaboration with diorama designer Joi Bittle, the work is modeled on dioramas found within natural history museums.
Endodrome is a staged environment for five people to enter at each time, combining an interactive VR experience with a theatrical setting that suggests the experience of a séance. The title of the piece, derives from the Greek words ‘endon’, meaning ‘internal’, and ‘dromos’, meaning ‘running, race track’. With Endodrome, the artist has created a VR artwork which allows viewers to journey inwards to access alternative states of consciousness.
Viewers will initially be immersed into a fluid, hypnotic monochrome environment and move through abstract visual space, as layers of bright color fields respond to the user’s gaze and breath. The 8-minute VR artwork will allow viewers to have the chance to interact with and inhabit Gonzalez-Foerster’s mesmerizing meditative visions.