RE-ANIMATED explores extinction, preservation and immortality. Based on the mating call of the extinct Kaua’i ‘ō’ō bird, visitors travel through its reconstructed environment in video and VR.
A vast virtual landscape based on the Kaua’i island unfolds and transforms, built from 3D-scanned organic material sourced from both field work and the American Museum of Natural History. Real archival audio is remixed with algorithmic music composed by Michael Riesman. Plants, moss, and insects respond to the pulse of music generated in real-time, responding to the movements of the viewer. As a slow-moving, poetic virtual environment, RE-ANIMATED investigates how we relate to nature irrevocably altered by human activity, and provokes fresh perspectives on our ecological future.
Artist, producer and main developer: Jakob Kudsk Steensen
Composer and Music Director: Michael Riesman
Co-producer: Toke Lykkeberg Nielsen and Tranen Contemporary Art Center