Sublime Synaesthesia
1 .0 (BETA)
- Tom Teulon & Trude Bekk
THE OSLO RIFT
The passion caused by the great and sublime in nature, when those causes operate most powerfully, is Astonishment; and astonishment is that state of the soul, in which all its motions are suspended, with some degree of horror. In this case the mind is so entirely filled with its object, that it cannot entertain any other, nor by consequence reason on that object which employs it. Hence arises the great power of the sublime, that far from being produced by them, it anticipates our reasonings, and hurries us on by an irresistible force.
(Edmund Burke)
Encounters with the sublime appear increasingly difficult to find. The great wildernesses are no longer reserved for a few bold explorers but have become safely accessible to all in some form. Advancements in technology, social media and nature tourism have supported and augmented this shift but also supplied a new veil of certainty and security in these environments. A pale imitation of the natural world has taken hold in the public consciousness, pushing the truly sublime experience further out of reach.
Sublime Synaesthesia is an ongoing project exploring the borderlands between the natural, the digital and the ephemeral. Using new technologies to explore our relationship with sublime nature and expose lesser known narratives which disrupt the prevailing anthropocentric assumption that our natural habitat is simply an inert commodity waiting to be better utilised.
This first iteration explores the formation of the Oslo Rift, focussing on 3 geological compositions commonly found in the area. This location may seem an unlikely place to experience the sublime but when examined closely these stones show the fingerprints of a deep and violent history. Far from being inert, each of these specimens have a long and storied past played out over millennia.
Special thanks to Henrik Svensen for his expert knowledge and endless enthusiasm. You Rock!
This project includes VR, AR, video and sound installation and has been produced from drone footage processed using Autodesk Recap, Houdini FX, Spark AR Studio and Unity Game Engine. The soundtrack has been composed using sonification of the exhibited rocks.
Check out our basalt AR using this QR code
SKAUGUMSÅSEN
Asker Kommune
We are basing the project on real world locations and objects reimagined in virtual space, and the first iteration is based on drone footage taken at Skaugumsåsen, where the ascending layers of basalt and rhomb-porphyry are clearly visible.
This text is gathered and translated from Henrik H. Svensen’s book ‘Under Asfalten – Oslos naturhistorie gjennom to milliarder år’. Henrik is a research professor in geology at the Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Norway. Besides doing research and leading the Earth Crises group at the Center for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, he writes books and articles for a wide audience.
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