The kinetic light installation “Nymphéas” is inspired by the lyrical images of ponds overgrown with water lilies by whose side poets and artists have spent countless hours in contemplation of clean, cold flowers.

The flower buds move gently in an optically expansive space, shimmering with different colors. The reflections of the flowers and the people observing them are compounded, creating a sense of submersion into the depths of the surreal pond.

The installation consists of 37 kinetic light modules mounted on a steel frame and covered with triplex glass. Each module consists of a “flower” operated by custom-designed mechanisms. For this installation, a unique set of 3D-printed details and a custom Art-Net controller were created, allowing the installation to be controlled externally with a standard lighting console or third-party software. The whole circular “pond” is 4.85m in diameter and 0.6m in height (elevated 0.15m from the ground).

“Nympheas” has already been installed in a permanent exhibition space. However, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it has not yet been presented to the public.

Credits
Concept, production and video: VOLNA
Camera / photo: Polina Korotaeva, VOLNA
Music: Hush Pup – Flower Power
© VOLNA (2020) © Hush Pup (2018)

Nymphéas – kinetic light installation by VOLNA

The heart of this installation is the image of reeds growing by the water and the unique sounds they make when the wind is blowing. We designed thin technological “stems” and kinetic “inflorescences” that recreate the shape of reeds. The force of wind is what controls these elements, creating an effect of flickering light reacting to air currents. The installation is located right beside the water at the K-30 club promenade and lets viewers experience a futuristic reeded wilderness with a view of the Neva River. 

We started out with an abstract idea of creating light elements that would stand above the water and be integrated into the surrounding landscape. The coastal cattail, recognizable by the unique shape of its inflorescence, formed the basis of the installation. In approaching this image from a technological and artistic point of view, we wanted to expand upon its natural kinetic potential and the visual light effect it creates. 

Sustainability in art and design has become a main area of research for us and a key attribute in our recent works. We figured out a way to visualize the reeds’ wind currents and vitality thanks to the unique aerodynamic design of the installation’s turbines, which allowed us to depict the invisible energy of nature.   Using 3D-printing technology, we were able to rapidly prototype each module. To find the most effective design, we ran different simulations for turbine aerodynamics using real prototypes. The "inflorescence" of each "reed" consists of 8 mechanical elements that are entirely 3D-printed. This allowed us to create lightweight mechanisms that are easy to assemble and maintain—an important factor for complex outdoor artwork. This self-sustaining approach allows us to reduce our ecological impact during the production process. 

We understand technology as a part of nature: the behavior of materials and processes determined by the laws of nature and combined with human will. In our art practice, this is not a source of conflict since for us working with technology means learning from nature. 

 Credits: Concept and production: VOLNA Technical support: 2A Production Photo and video: VOLNA Commissioned by Roots United © VOLNA (2021)  Project page:  https://volna-media.com/projects/reeds 

Reeds

"Keep Yourself Clean" is the first retrospective exhibition by VOLNA and presents a virtual reconstruction of our major works from 2016 to the present. The exhibition spaces and installations were created using video game development tools (Unreal Engine) that simulate real-time scenes and lighting effects. We invite you to immerse yourself in the surroundings of each installation, move freely in the rooms and choose any observation point.

This online exhibition represents the first time our zeal for pragmatic production processes is reflected in a simulated world. For this reason, only works that were realized in the material world were selected for display.

The primary expressive element in our work is light and its various characteristics, its movement and interaction with space, the rhythm of chiaroscuro and the way chiaroscuro scenarios unfold in relation to time. Some works include synchronized sound, created to interact closely with the light’s dramaturgy. 

The virtual exhibition space itself is heterotopic and at the same time proportional to the original exhibition locations. We made the model exhibits displayed inside as close as possible to their real prototypes and preserved the original structural details, including the nature of the lighting and scenarios behind each of the live installations. The original sound design and ambient sound environments are reproduced, and each work’s context and theme are discussed in an accompanying text.

The exhibition illustrates how real space can live according to its own laws in another (virtual) space, as well as the merging of virtual and real spaces, a synthesis of various methods for transmitting information and the interplay between them. As media historian Norbert Bolz once put it, in media reality “thematically structured visual worlds are supposed to bring a surreal condensation of the experience: more real than reality.”

Accepting this challenge, the exhibition "Keep Yourself Clean" attempts to embrace all the real and virtual layers of information that make up each of the works, and then let the works themselves become the determinants of perception. With their help, each of the contexts will “re-sort” in the virtual world, rethink the laws of perception, and each work will, in turn, become an experience of sensory contemplation. We hope this experience will be personal and genuine for each viewer.

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