'Digital Wild' connects technology and nature at exhibition

A visitor poses for photos with the “Microworld”installation. Photos by courtesy of “ShenzhenLOOK”

When the digital world intertwines with our real life, what does digital existence truly entail? “The Digital Wild,” a multimedia art exhibition, provides audiences with an immersive and interactive art experience.

The exhibition features five award-winning works by international digital artists who use digital technology to explore the diversity of life and the relationship between technology and nature within an imaginative art ecosystem.

One standout exhibit is “Dream” by Fuse Studio. The audio-visual project comprises 28,748 fragments that together create a two-hour dream narrative, with each frame presenting a different image. It transforms dreams sourced from the databases of renowned universities, where volunteers participated in related research projects. As viewers stare at the flickering screen, countless voices overlap like murmurs in their ears, drawing you into a dreamlike wormhole — chaotic but real — resembling a long and intricate dream, like a series of interconnected short films.

German artist Philipp Artus has created a giant screen that acts as an ocean pool for digital aquatic organisms to swim around. With a control panel, visitors can choose basic shapes of fish or jellyfish, unleashing their creativity to craft their own versions of these digital beings. Once confirmed, their creations are released into the electronic ocean pool, making the visitors become creators.

“Breath of the Mine” by Chinese artist Huang Wei makes its global debut at the exhibition. The project resembles an electronic farm on the brink of abandonment. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a declining mining boom.

“Microworld”installations are exhibited.

“Microworld” is an interactive space for experimentation and collaboration, created by British programming artists Nicola Schauerman and Tim Pickup of Genetic Moo. At “Multiple,” visitors’ silhouettes are captured and projected onto the screen, resulting a colorful pattern that continuously expands, making them a part of the digital world. At the “Microworld Minis,” visitors can start a game by pressing buttons and dragging sliders.

Dates: Through June 6

Venue: City Lounge, B1, T33 All-Time Center, Xili, Nanshan District (南山区T33全时中心)

Metro: Line 5 to Liuxiandong Station (留仙洞站), Exit A