In the intersection between technology, art and culture, lies Digital Aurora, an exhibition providing audiences with unique sensory experiences through digital, light and sound sculptural installations.

Artists, engineers and designers Hans Kim, Joe ‘Digl’ Dixon, Oliver Bucher, Krishna Duddumpudi, James McVay and Adam Moore have come together for the first time to produce a visual commentary exposing the intricately woven ecology of data, technology, and perceived value.

“We want Digital Aurora to display a different side of technology that is both beauti­ful and stimulating, to inspire and encourage the next generation of thinkers, innovators, and art­ists to take action,” explains visual artist/designer Hans Kim.

Kim’s work, entitled ‘Overview’, is a sensory experience that aims to replicate the ‘Overview Effect’, a psychological phenomenon experienced by astronauts when physically confronted with the reality of Earth in the context of space.

“I wanted to recreate the illusion inside a gallery space, remove all the visual cues that can break that illusion and enhance the details that emphasise it – really put the viewer into that particular frame of reference.”

“The whole concept behind the ‘Overview Effect’ is a renewed appreciation of our shared planet and an overwhelming sense of perspective. It is also the reason many astronauts have expressed the need for the world’s leaders to be exposed to it.”

Alongside Kim’s work are projections by fellow digital visual artist Joe ‘Digl’ Dixon, whose piece .*(Dot Star) grapples with the immensity of the Known and its relationship with us as individuals. The projections are intended to wash over audience members entering the enclosed space, creating a constantly evolving visual phenomenon.

“Digital art is actually a lot more accessible than people think,” explains Dixon, “you don’t have to be a tech/digital expert to enjoy the experience.”

This unofficial collective of boundary-pushing, future-thinking, insightful artists have created an exhibition that is guaranteed to challenge the viewer.

“In a primal sense this exhibition needed to happen for the sake of our sanity. We all work as hired guns in industries that harness our creativity for profitable ventures. In that context we rarely get a chance to use our craft to create our own visions in an uncompromising way,” Kim says.

“This became a topic of a heated discussion among friends one Friday night at the start of this year. The result of which was the idea to find likeminded people to put on an exhibition that celebrate these aberrant thoughts we never get to indulge in.”

“One of the key things we want to achieve with this show is to change the perception of what digital art could be and this exhibition has culminated in something comprehensive and meaningful.”

Digital Aurora opens on Friday 27 July, from 6pm – 10pm, with live music from 8pm onwards.

Digital Aurora will be available to view from Friday 27 July – Wednesday 15 August 2018.

The artists would like to acknowledge Advanced Print & Design for providing printing expertise and MASS for supporting the Digital Aurora project.