CRITICAL THRESHOLD
Ebor Studio Gallery Frank
October 2022 Interactive Billboard Image Made in Colory VR
presented in Artivive AR Sound by Holly Phelps @IORA
CRITICAL THRESHOLD is an interactive piece with sound exhibited in real life and Augmented Reality on the Ebor Studio building as part of an ongoing Billboard Project funded by ACE. The work refers to the tipping point in climate change that we are now experiencing, a monumental shift, demonstrating lost edges and our irrecoverable path back to safety.
In aiming to engage the viewer on a deeper level than just a two-dimensional artwork, I sought to evoke a visceral response by introducing abstract components that represent various elements linked to climate change and transport them into an otherworldly realm. What is of particular importance to me is that this piece can stand alone as a piece of art, even when experienced outside of augmented reality.
Holly Phelps’ soundscape reverberated in response to the visual and thematic complexity of the AR artwork. With its allusions to apocalypse, this somber piece crafted a deeply stirring atmosphere that conveyed the gravity of its subject matter.
Working in a virtual reality environment established during lockdown on an Oculus Rift, I use full body movements to create abstract images which I then resolve through apps such as Photo Mirage and ColoryVR animation.
Print on the floor of the studio 
Billboard Instal 
Viewing Area 
Video capture
The original image had to be improved (from VR) to be printed on the billboard and seeing it on the floor of the studio was amazing, it revealed all of the marks and shapes that I had experienced virtually with the headset. The billboard degrades in the weather over the period of the exhibition, however the interaction was still visible until it was removed.
As I engaged with artists, students and the public experiencing the work, it became clear just how varied our conceptions of environmental issues are and the myriad of ways we feel the effects of our choices.
By engaging in these meaningful dialogues without being led by fear-based media narratives, we formed a neutral platform where we could openly contemplate and share our ideas.
Research into this subject and my own deep desire to explore dialogue viscerally led me to the work of curator and author Nicolas Bourriaud who says in his recent essay: Planet B Climate Change and the New Sublime “we have the collective feeling that we are immersed in a reality whose parameters have become uncontrollable and overwhelming”. The essay considers the artists use of the new sublime in art within the subject of the Anthropocene and Capitolocene (a way of organising nature) “The sublime as a romantic concept can mutate when it is grafted into a new context.”
On reflection the concept of small 30 – 45 second interactions is very appealing, the average human span of concentration is only 8 seconds but I feel once the app is downloaded and the imagination sparked I am afforded this time and some people watched it more than once. The total number of interactions was 150 with some being demonstrated to more than one person.
I have begun a series of 5 of these individual works entitled: A Crisis of the Human Scale this will facilitate other subjects within the Anthropocene and exposure in different sites. The subjects: changing weather patterns, population density and the increasing scarcity of space, and the disorientation of snow in the summer or melting ice caps. Triggers for the work can be in many forms, this has opened up new possibilities especially around architecture and sculpture. Also the flexibility of the image allows it to reach many people in the form of a poster or digitally as well as the main installation which is an advantage especially when applying for funding. Working with musicians is always a joy and very exciting. I hope to work with 5 different musicians and sound artists and I will develop new animation skills as I resolve my ideas and tackle the challenges of individual locations.
Rochdale On Line quote about CRITICAL THRESHOLD: “This portal to the artist is momentary but deep and often results in conversations on this critical subject, which can be overwhelming and incomprehensible.”
Links:
Rochdale On Line: https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/148810/climate-change-talking-point-art-exhibit-installed-at-littleborough%E2%80%99s-ebor-studio
@artivive https://artivive.com/
Nicolas Bourriaud, Planet B Climate Change and the New Sublime, Published on the occasion of an eponymous exhibition taking place at Palazzo Bollani, Venice, from April 20th to November 27th, 2022 by Les Presses Du Reel.
Babs Smith Multidisciplinary Artist 