By Daniela Coe Macnamara
Staff Writer
Immersive exhibitions are slowly taking over the art world as technology becomes an increasingly more influential aspect of galleries today, something that upcoming artist Neil Beloufa took advantage of in his new exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, “Projects 102.”
As videography, projection, and technology in general make their way into the art world, artists are taking advantage of the social media aspect of technology, as well as the added aspects of gallery space that influence an immersive exhibit. Neil Beloufa’s “Projects 102,” utilizes the gallery space provided by MoMA, by connecting the audience to these chaotic images, videos, and audio tracks looped throughout the exhibit, creating an atmosphere of wonder and intrigue through the ambiguity of the immersive exhibit.
The exhibit features multiple works, including a 2011 film titled “People’s passion, lifestyle, beautiful wine, gigantic glass towers, all surrounded by water,” as well as a sculpture titled “The Colonies,” built entirely out of found or basic materials. Opening March 12th, Beloufa’s “Projects 102” is an immersive exhibit displayed on the fourth floor of the Museum of Modern Art. As his first solo New York exhibit, “Projects 102” is a huge leap in Neil Beloufa’s career, a French-Algerian interactive artist interested in people’s perceptions of his work, instead of the work itself.
Beloufa’s “Projects 102” is one of the only immersive and slightly interactive exhibits on display at MoMA at the moment, making it one of the more interesting rooms as it draws viewers in with moving objects and interesting videos. The short videos used by Beloufa throughout his exhibition attract audiences due to their relatability and intrigue influenced by their placement on suspended pieces of plastic, instead of a simple screen used by other videographers.
The videos used in the exhibit are both unique and relatable, with the main video in the center, “People’s passion, lifestyle, beautiful wine, gigantic glass towers, all surrounded by water,” describing places that people wanted to live without ever giving enough detail to determine the exact location of the place being described. This mysterious aspect of the films drew audiences in even more, as they listened to intriguing descriptions that only pieced together a place, much like the pieces of plastic and other materials that the videos were being displayed on in the center of the room.
The display of the exhibit utilizes the skyline of Manhattan seen from the fourth floor of MoMA, as well as the open space of the gallery that allows visitors to circulate through the exhibit at their own pace and order. By utilizing the space provided by the gallery, Beloufa turns the videography he uses into a tool of analysis as it connects to the space around it, displayed on seemingly broken shards of plastic, instead of a simple screen like many other immersive photography exhibits.
Beloufa’s use of sculpture throughout this exhibit exemplifies his goal in uniting the creative process with the tangible aspects of life, as well as his emphasis on connecting people to the work they are viewing. By using sculpture to display the videos and other creative mediums used throughout the exhibit, Beloufa creates a multimedia experience for audiences that is unique in both MoMA and the art world itself.
The inclusion of the wiring involved in the exhibit further emphasizes Beloufa’s desire to include the audience in the exhibit, as he reveals to the viewers the process behind creation, while simultaneously representing the technology taking over the world as well as the art world. The exposed wires and refracted images create a slightly dystopian feel in the gallery, as if the audience is watching videos not meant to be viewed, only made possible by this chaotic semblance of sculpture and videography.
The centerpiece of the exhibit, the video titled “People’s passion, lifestyle, beautiful wine, gigantic glass towers, all surrounded by water,” is the epitome of Beloufa’s attempt with this exhibit: the fusion of the audience and the exhibit, through the audience’s reaction to the video. By playing this video on fragments of plastic, overlapping tapes of actors discussing these beautiful but ambiguous cities, Beloufa allows the viewer to make their own opinion about the cities being described, because they are only being given pieces of the story.
The newly opened exhibit by Neil Beloufa is interactive, immersive, and exploratory, inviting audiences in through intriguing videography.
Neil Beloufa’s “Projects 102” opened at the New York Museum of Modern Art on March 12th and will be displayed through Sunday, June 12, in the The Werner and Elaine Dannheisser Lobby Gallery on the fourth floor.
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