Ethereal is an immersive installation by Fraction & Starnault, following the global success of their emblematic performance Entropia. This new work deepens their craft for staging mixed realities, creating a visceral journey through the metamorphosis of artistic matter.
Ethereal invites audiences to cross the threshold between the tangible and the virtual, offering a transcendental experience at the borders of digital surrealism. The piece explores the perpetual transformation of matter across multiple scales and dimensions, echoing the unpredictable, dream-like moments that blur the limits of reason and perception. This ever-shifting space often leaves us with an “ethereal” feeling, a lingering emotional trace that haunts us even after waking.
At its core, Ethereal is a reflection on the duality of perception and the influence of multiple sensory realities on our architectural legacy, both terrestrial and soon spatial. The work draws on this concept to create a poetic immersion, combining physical light structures, ambisonic spatialization, and real-time generative visuals. The result is a seamless fusion of sound, light, and movement, where the audience is invited to abandon themselves to a continuum that defies conventional spatial perception.
With its unique aesthetic language and dynamic writing, Ethereal aims to provoke an almost psychedelic experience, pulling the audience through a narrow passage toward the promise of immersive sublimation. This is not just an installation, but a call to experience the beauty and chaos of a constantly transforming reality.
Ethereal was first presented at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) in Montreal in March 2020 and has since evolved into a living work, continuously adapting to each new space and audience.