An Immersive Interactive Video Mapping and Sound Art Installation by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger Curated by Chris Miele / Interaction by Nicola Carpeggiani Spring Break Art Show, as part of Armory Arts Week, 4 Times Square, New York, NY March 6-12, 2018 “This room is magic. Walk in and touch the black dots to discover a mysterious world of dreams, fantasy and hidden places” ​ In 'Self On The Shelf', filmmaker and videoartist Laia Cabrera and animator and video mapper Isabelle Duverger co-created an interactive immersive installation for Spring Break Art Show, as part of the Armory Arts Week, turning a small boy's bedroom into a nightmarish dreamscape in honor of the eponymous elf which has become the symbol of our children's intimate acceptance of 21st century surveillance realities. Through immersive interactive projection mapping, video art, sound design, illustration and animation, Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, in collaboration with interaction designer Nicola Carpeggiani, created a child's bedroom and bring it to life as it responded to a series of clues or hints, which were given to visitors as they entered the room. Extracted from a 2012 journal entry about Chris' son and his relationship with James, his first Elf on the Shelf, the concept of this stranger from the North Pole was born. The dramatic visual effects transformed the room as the viewer explored feelings, emotions and limits between reality and fantasy. There were black dots hidden on various objects in the room which the audience had to find. Once the viewer touched the objects, the room-its walls, the music, the entire environment transformed. If you touched the glass by the side of the bed, you were suddenly immersed inside the water. If you touched the mirror, your reflection was broadcast through clouds on multiple walls, from different angles so that the viewer was literally stunned as they tried to figure out where the camera was located. Reviews: Watering the Imagination at the Spring Break Art Show "Several other exhibitions were visually compelling or inventive, or so fully realized that I couldn’t help but spend the necessary time to suss out their meanings. The show Self on the Shelf was one of those technology-driven extravaganzas, when I touched a black dot on a quotidian furnishing in what was designed to look like a bedroom, the whole scene shifted and music and images wafting across the walls made me feel like by touching the button, I had entered a wormhole." Seph Rodney for Hyperallergic, March 8, 2018 Our 21 Favorite Moments From SPRING/BREAK Art Show "This year’s theme, “Stranger Comes to Town,” explores tensions of otherness, through concepts of migration, assimilation, and the nature of belonging. We’ve selected some of our favorite booths, moments and encounters at this year’s show: Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, Self on a Shelf" Kristina Adduci for Art Zealous, March 7, 2018 Politics, Strangers & Art Not to Miss at Spring/Break 2018 “Self on The Shelf” by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger. Curated by Christine Miele. "Self on The Shelf was a distinct departure from the installations and room presentations that dominated the fair. Presenting as a child's bedroom, the work was enlivened through the act of finding and pressing a black button to present a series of changing environment that combined a childlike innocence with adult self-examination that didn't scour. In an unexpected twist, the work contained a live projection component so participates could see themselves appear on the walls as part of the art installation. It's all part of the dreamlike environment and secret places that is more nice than not. Self on The Shelf was dreamed up by a pair of visual artists with skills in projected mapping, film, video, animation and visual art. Experiencing the installation was not nearly as complicated as the list of skills needed to create the fanciful work. The work is inspired by a childhood toy by the curator's son. His "Elf on the Shelf" was a toy that was a stand in for Santa Claus and, as part of his Christmas team, could report back on whether he was naughty or nice to determine the level of gifts delivered on Christmas Eve. The Self on The Shelf can transform into both sweet dreams or nightmares where elves take over the room or storms envelop the room. Other actions will create the room to transform into a pool, a drawing that unfolds or to place the visitor in the room as way of looking themselves in the mirror. Overall, the installation was a fun breathe in an art fair with work that could be heavy on the heart or harsh on the eyes." Pat Rogers for Hamptons Art Hub, March 10, 2018

• published: 18 May 2021
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