Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg opening 25 January in Berlin
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‘It Will End in Stars’, the first virtual reality artwork created by Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg in collaboration with Acute Art, continues our exhibition collaboration with Julia Stoschek Collection.
Following on from the successful launch of Bjarne Melgaard’s My Trip, the next phase opens in Berlin on 25 January 2020 with evening viewing on Friday, 24 January. The exhibition runs until 26 April.
About the work:
It Will End in Stars (2018) is an immersive virtual reality experience combining Nathalie Djurberg’s distinctive sculpted figures with black and white charcoal drawings, text, and an unsettling soundtrack by Hans Berg.
The work is a continuation of Djuberg’s interest in archetypal landscapes, evoking fairy tales first encountered in childhood. Viewers begin their journey deep in a forest, entering a clearing to discover a wooden cabin. Inside, a wolf sits in front of a glowing fire – the building’s chintz interior undercut by a creeping sense of unease.
Hand-written text, which appears hanging in mid-air, conveys the wolf’s thoughts, merging digital technology with an aesthetic closer to silent cinema.
Painstakingly scanned and animated, Djurberg’s creature is responsive, meeting the viewer’s gaze and responding to their movements. The effect is disconcerting; we are uncomfortably aware of our status as watched intruder.
Around the room, objects become portals into alternate dimensions: a skull becomes a route into a kaleidoscopic environment, while a shadowy enclave of the cabin opens out into a cavernous animated temple.
This dream-like vision ends in a sprawling star-scape, reiterating the mystical, nature of the work and reiterating the landscape’s dream-like nature.