What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1190142
H ow do you make the soul of nature visible? How you make it audible? How can technology be used to amplify connections with the natural world rather than detract from it? These are just some of the questions the design team at Moment Factory were considering for their first outdoor art exhibit. In partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, the Montreal-based multimedia and entertainment studio produced an imaginative new project that is a novel creation for both institutions. The North Forest Lights is a nighttime group of artistic light and sound installations unlike anything the museum has ever hosted or developed. Five distinct installations were designed specifically for the forest space in a unique activation that Moment Factory creative director, Marie Belzil, says allowed her team to push their craft in a way they haven't had the opportunity to before. "It's special because Crystal Bridges has three main orientations: art, nature and education," Belzil shares. "And on our side at Moment Factory, we've been working a lot at creating experiences of entertainment in the nature. So here, coming at the museum, it's an opportunity for us like never before to be presented as artists — to really modify the process and explore what is our identity as a multimedia studio." After connecting with the museum to initiate the collaboration, the installation began to take shape after many visits to the site to discover what the space could become. "It was all about developing this idea of the digital bonfire — a place that we invite people to connect and to share positive vibes, adding to that the layer of making what we believe," Belzil muses. "Because we've been passing so much time in nature, we believe that nature has a soul. This was also an opportunity to talk about that. "That's the first thing we knew, for sure," she goes on. "But then it really all started from site visits — walking the path many times, feeling the vibe of the different places, looking at this natural scenography. Basically, the nature became our canvas." What emerged is a family-friendly light and sound spectacular that asks the viewer to slow down and really take in or engage with the nature around him. The nightly experience begins from the moment one approaches the ticket booth. Since the installation is activated outside regular museum hours, guests use the east entrance to the forest — on the trail near the Scott Family Amazeum and the east parking lot — rather than the forest's more prominent access point on the north side of the museum. Stepping onto the trail, guests are enveloped in a cozy darkness — but not overwhelming, the paths are lighted — as they enter the forest. Colored lights illuminate a tree or sign here and there and a meditative soundtrack of rich, ethereal music greets your ears well before you reach the loop where the installations reside. This introductory walk takes several minutes and establishes a reverential and introspective mood for the experiences ahead. "We worked very hard with the lighting designers and with the sound designers to create environments that are, once you're in [it], you're not hearing the other environments, you're not feeling the other environments," explains Moment Factory producer Mathieu Granger. "They're very immersive; we're super proud of that. So you're able to take a quick gander around and see sort of what you can expect, but we really put a lot of emphasis on creating that immersion once you're in the experience." That sense of engagement is further Feature 8 What's up! December 8-14, 2019 Faq North Forest Lights WHEN — Wednesday through Sunday beginning at twilight with final admission at 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; on display through Feb. 16 WHERE — North Forest at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville COST — $10-$22; members, $7-$15; kids younger than 7, free INFO — 418-5700, crystalbridges. org ACCESSIBILITY — The North Forest Trail is accessible for mobility devices. Wheelchairs available for check out. Shuttle offered by request. Strollers and wagons welcome. North Forest enchants with new installation Photo courtesy MoMent factory The five installations comprising North Forest Lights are site specific and were developed by a team of nearly 60 montreal-based and local artists, engineers, lighting designers, sound designers, programmers and more. "so, for example, 'the Whispering tree' was inspired by the fact that the tree was so grand that we wanted to measure a little human and create a moment of intimacy between this huge tree and the little person," belzil reveals. "that all happened here because of the specificity of the environment." Moment of Magic JoceLyN MurPhy NWA Democrat-Gazette