‘Dreamed Japan, Images of the Floating World’, an Immersive, Lyrical Exhibition in Paris

Open since April 2018, the Atelier des Lumières in Paris brings together art and digital technology. After paying homage to the work of Gustav Klimt, Paris’s first digital art centre showcased the work of tortured genius Vincent van Gogh. The main exhibition was based around the Dutch painter’s universe, but it was accompanied by two other exhibitions including Dreamed Japan, Images of the Floating World by Lucia Frigola, Cédric Péri, Sergio Carrubba and Paola Ciucci, the masterminds behind Studio Danny Rose.

Echoes of the work of Vincent van Gogh

Like a voyage to the Japan of the collective imagination, Dreamed Japan, Images of the Floating World depicted spirits, geishas and even samurais. This creation was inspired by the emblematic Japanese prints that became known in Europe during the second half of the 19th century, when commercial exchanges began between Japan and the West. These prints would go on to have a strong influence on the art world, and especially the impressionist and avant-garde movements, but also Art Deco, music and dance.

Out of all of these artists, Vincent van Gogh positioned himself as an artist of the Japanese tradition even before the term ‘Japonisme’ emerged in art criticism in 1872. Dreamed Japan, Images of the Floating World therefore directly echoed the work of the Dutch painter. The Danny Rose art studio brought these prints to life thanks to its extensive use of flower, fan, fruit and wave patterns, precise employment of lines and colours, and cleverly thought out light play.

Harmony between sound and light

This ephemeral, contemplative ballad left the viewer time to admire cherry trees in bloom, an enchanting forest, kimonos coming to life, Japanese folklore and Hokusai’s iconic Great Wave, which still fascinates the art world today. This digital work was accompanied by a very carefully chosen soundtrack, ranging from the music of the renowned Ryuichi Sakamoto to Claude Debussy.

Thus, Studio Danny Rose offered a broad overview of the diversity, modernity and beauty of the ukiyo-e art movement, which continues to influence contemporary art. This exhibition reflected a collective endeavour, uniting musicians, plastic artists, actors, code artists and 3D designers.

The Atelier des Lumières is located in a former foundry that dates from 1835 and was renovated in 2018. It has two projection spaces: the Halle, which is 1500m squared, and the Studio, which is 160m squared. There are 140 video projectors and 3300m squared of projection surface from floor to ceiling and 50 speakers, all of which run seven days a week.

Dreamed Japan, Images of the Floating World (2019), an exhibition that took place at the Atelier des Lumières in Paris.