This year Eden has worked in collaboration with The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, who initiated the exhibition, to develop a global call-to-action using the artworks as an inspiration to viewers to take a closer look at their relationship with nature.
The most ambitious and expansive exhibition of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology was launched at 12 Botanical Gardens across six countries in 2021 and has been viewed by around one million visitors.
Season Two sees the exhibition extend to a further 10 locations in Australia, Canada, England, Greece, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.
Seeing the Invisible features works by more than a dozen international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Isaac Julien CBE RA, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin. For several of the artists this is their first work in AR.
Visitors engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition which is downloadable to smartphones and tablets.
Forging new links between gardens located in diverse biomes across the globe, the exhibition fosters collaboration between institutions, artists, and audiences, highlighting the power of art to connect people around the world while acknowledging the vital role that art, culture and creativity play in addressing the planetary emergency.
Using the 13 artworks as inspiration, the call-to-action explores different themes, prompting the viewer to “Take a closer look at their relationship with nature, and act now for a harmonious future between people and planet.”
The call-to-action can be explored via a family trail across the Eden Project from October 7-21, with ideas and actions people can take to have a positive impact on the world no matter where they live.
Sarah Peake, Content Curation Manager at the Eden Project, said: “It’s fantastic to be part of this unique and truly inspiring exhibition and to see it about to reach new audiences worldwide.
“It was initiated in the midst of the Covid pandemic and the increasingly urgent planetary emergency. Not only did it draw people back to cultural institutions and gardens but also the artworks have provided the opportunity for the audiences to engage in so many of the challenges we now face. Working with gardens all around the world has brought together a global community with a united ambition to improve the relationship between people and planet.”
Hannah Rendell, Jerusalem Botanical Gardens Executive Director and Seeing the Invisible co-initiator, said: “Today we have an exceptional potential for global collaboration. AR allows us to share costs and experiences in a way that has never been possible before.
“We are deeply gratified for the opportunity to forge new connections with partner gardens and art institutions across the globe, for a second year.”
The first exhibition of its kind to be developed as a joint venture among botanical gardens around the world, Seeing the Invisible was initiated by Hannah Rendell and Candida Gertler, co-founder of Outset Contemporary Art Fund with support of The Jerusalem Foundations Innovation Fund. Seeing the Invisible is co-curated by Hadas Maor and Tal Michael Haring.
The trail and accompanying educational programming for children, educators, and families will be available at every partner institution and online for viewers around the world featuring interviews with the artists, photos and videos to engage the global community with the topics raised.
The exhibition is accessible via smartphone and tablet through the Seeing the Invisible app, which will be available for iPhone and Android in the App Store and Google Play.
For additional information and to book entry to each of the participating institutions, please visit: www.seeingtheinvisible.art.
LINK TO FURTHER IMAGES
