Landscape / Portrait (Verdensrum IV) – An Interactive 3D Installation

Birgit Kjæersgaard

Danish architect and artist Birgit Kjærsgaard’s transformation of a traditional Buddhist meditation ritual into an interactive 3D installation incorporating photo, film, sound, and smell takes us on a modern pilgrimage through the Japanese mountain landscape of Koya-san. The region to the south of the megacity of Osaka, famous for its numerous temple complexes, has been a designated World Heritage Site since 2004. Kjærsgaard has been investigating the reception of sign systems and metaphors from the world’s major cultures for years. In her current installation Landscape/Portrait, mandalas and abstract images of natural beauty alternate with photorealistic scenes of the Japanese landscape and way of life. The setting is a contemporary temple-style tableau. The hoped-for (meditative) state of perfect harmony (Ryôkai) is influenced, whether consciously or unintentionally, by the beholder’s presence in the exhibition space. Surrounded by 3D projections, visitors are equipped with a device that measures the body’s tension and translates it directly via sensors into the installation’s soundscape.