Come for the Instagram, stay for the art
Dark fantasies
Hong Kong's own tech wizards are producing more immersive shows than ever before and seem to be getting steadily more brilliant at it. Orbstellar by studio Xcept, running at Pacific Place until October 9, conjures up a seamless simulation of a walk through a "metaspace galaxy" in which viewers can even use an app to create their own planets.
The proliferation of shows where artists are able to cajole viewers into happily suspending disbelief leads to a number of concerns about the ways in which the gifts of technology are being used to create immersive art. Might the art that overwhelms the senses also stimulate the mind? Persuade the viewer into applying a degree of intellectual rigor in order to make the experience more meaningful?
