Seeing the Invisible features works by thirteen international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin—including several artists’ first work in AR.
Visitors to Eden can now engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition downloadable to smartphones and tablets.
David Harland, Interim Chief Executive of the Eden Project, said: “As a cultural destination set within a regenerated, natural landscape, the idea of immersing digital installations within that environment is a thrill for our visitors and, indeed, us as hosts. To experience extraordinary digital works that enable us to view the natural world around them though a new lens will reach hearts and minds, as well as informing and educating simultaneously.
“It is a great privilege to host artworks by world-renowned artists in collaboration with a global network of partner gardens – allowing us all to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things.”
Forging new links between botanical gardens located in diverse biomes around the globe, the exhibition fosters collaboration between institutions, artists, and audiences, highlighting the power of art to connect people around the world.
The first exhibition of its kind to be developed as a collaboration among botanical gardens around the world, Seeing the Invisible was initiated by the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and Outset Contemporary Art Fund, and is co-curated by Hadas Maor and Tal Michael Haring.
Seeing the Invisible places the same exhibition of commissioned artworks in analogous sites in the 12 garden settings located in different biomes all around the world, creating parallels and contrasts between them.
For example, the same work might be set within a group of tall Saguaro cacti in Tucson and among a lush forest of giant redwoods in Edinburgh.
The AR nature of the exhibition allows for the creation of expansive, immersive works that engage with existing features of the natural landscape beyond the limitations of what is possible with physical artworks. Many of the works created for the exhibition address related themes around nature, environment, sustainability, and explore the interplay of the physical world with the digital one.
Seeing the Invisible Co-Curator Hadas Maor said: “This exhibition allows artists who have not previously worked in AR to expand on ideas that are central to their practice in entirely new ways.
“In doing so, the exhibition engages a wide range of visitors with contemporary artworks, including a number that address critical issues around the environment, through this exciting new medium.
“Coming out of the pandemic when outdoor experiences and nature have taken on a new meaning and gravity in our lives, this exhibition represents a fresh way for people to engage with art and nature simultaneously,” added Seeing the Invisible Co-Curator Tal Michael Haring.
“The interplay of these augmented reality works in vibrant natural settings breaks down the binary between what is often considered ‘natural’ versus ‘digital’, and in this way provides an exhibition experience that is much more connected to the way we live today.”
Seeing the Invisible is accessible via smartphone and tablet through the Seeing the Invisible app, which is available for iPhone and Android in the App Store and Google Play.
This project has been made possible in partnership with The Jerusalem Foundation. Seeing the Invisible is co-curated by Hadas Maor and Tal Michael Haring, and organized by Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and Outset Contemporary Art Fund.
Seeing the Invisible features AR works by the following artists:
Ai Weiwei (b. 1957, Beijing, China; lives and works in Berlin, Germany; Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal and Cambridge, UK)
Refik Anadol (b. 1985, Istanbul, Turkey; lives and works in Los Angeles, USA)
El Anatsui (b. 1944, Anyako, Ghana; lives and works in Nigeria)
Ori Gersht (b. 1967, Tel Aviv, Israel; lives and works in London, UK)
Isaac Julien CBE (b. 1960, London, UK; lives and works in London, UK)
Mohammed Kazem (b. 1969, Dubai, UAE; lives and works in Dubai, UAE)
Sigalit Landau (b. 1969, Jerusalem, Israel; lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel)
Daito Manabe (b. 1976, Tokyo, Japan; lives and works in Tokyo, Japan)
Sarah Meyohas (b. 1991, New York City, USA; lives and works in New York City, USA)
Mel O’Callaghan (b. 1975, Sydney, Australia; lives and works in Paris, France and in Sydney, Australia)
Pamela Rosenkranz (b. 1979, Switzerland; lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland)
Timur Si-Qin (b. 1984, Germany; lives and works in New York City, USA)
Jakob Kudsk Steensen (b. 1987, Denmark; lives and works in Berlin, Germany)
In addition to the Eden Project, Seeing the Invisible can be seen at:
Denver Botanic Gardens (Denver, Colorado, USA)
Jerusalem Botanical Gardens (Jerusalem, Israel)
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (Cape Town, South Africa)
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota, Florida, USA)
Massachusetts Horticultural Society (Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA)
Royal Botanical Gardens (Ontario, Canada)
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Cranbourne Gardens (Cranbourne, Australia)
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne Gardens (Melbourne, Australia)
San Diego Botanic Garden (San Diego, California, USA)
Tucson Botanical Gardens (Tucson, Arizona, USA) For additional information and to book entry for the exhibition at the Eden Project, please visit: www.edenproject.com
