Paloceae Lupantozoa

Andrea du Plessis

Paloceae Lupantozoa Multimedia
oil on canvas
augmented reality interaction
53 cm x 63 cm

Paloceae Lupantozoa is inspired by Martin Johnson Heade’s “Orchids and Hummingbirds” series. The artwork consists of a painting created through the traditional oil on canvas technique that can also be experienced as a multi-sensory animated video. The video component of the artwork, which includes sound, is accessed via an Augmented Reality (AR) animation of the oil painting. By downloading an App on their digital device and pointing their camera towards the painting, viewers activate the Artificial Intelligence sound and video animation sequence which literally brings the painting to life on their digital device. 

The oil painting and AR video create a link between past and contemporary representations and experiences of nature. By juxtaposing the 19th century Romantic tradition of painting with emerging technologies, the artwork creates a tension-filled interface, momentarily transporting the viewer into a familiar yet alien world. But most crucially, experienced in its multiple modalities, the artwork offers the viewer an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with nature and our changing landscape.

 

Andrea du Plessis is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Cape Town, specialising primarily in traditional painting and new media. She studied Fine Arts at the University of Pretoria, completed a postgraduate diploma in Art Therapy in the UK, and is currently studying towards a degree in Multimedia Digital Visual Arts at the University of South Africa. Du Plessis uses her practice as a means of exploring humanity’s complex relationship to both nature and technology. The Covid-19 pandemic sparked her interest in the sublime experience and the interplay between nature, technology, and spirituality.