“Trial” at SAT x MUTEK Montreal 2022

For their SAT residency, CLAUDE and Shin Hyejin created a staggering audiovisual space to investigate personal feelings in a universal way.

In Summer 2022, Visual Artist CLAUDE and Sound Artist Shin Hyejin debuted their new show, “Trial,” produced through the Society for Arts and Technology Residency Programme, at MUTEK Montreal. For the project, their first dome projection performance, the artists put universal negative emotions, such as fear and stress, through a personal filter within an abstract audiovisual environment.

CLAUDE portrayed the creative team’s chosen concept by channelling solar flares and the movements of outer space and the stars. The artist found inspiration in deep-rooted childhood fears, such as death, the open sea, and, existentially speaking, the abyss. After a lengthy discussion, the two artists knew they’d need to illustrate universal symbols that pair well with their timeless themes. They found inspiration in the sun, waves, and the universe, but they still needed a way to express them concretely.

While Shin Hyejin worked hard at embodying sounds and melodies to represent their massive ideas, CLAUDE set out to sculpt natural motion, using the fluid  and particle systems in Notch. He used vast amounts of tiny particles to capture the feeling of swimming in the dome’s huge 3D virtual space.

The show itself sparked endless questions from the audience, who wanted to know everything from the artist’s interpretation to essential components of the live production. Creating this work, CLAUDE explained, the artists had an opportunity to look into these central emotions, ultimately gaining courage and catharsis.

The project Trial benefitted from the artwork creation programme at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT).

“I think Notch is essential not only for real-time interactive programming but also for artists’ creation and performance. Notch really helped me create work that represents natural motion through its sophisticated physics and particle system.”

CLAUDE, Visual Artist

Additional press coverage:
MUTEK, Montreal Gazette.

Credits
Client: MUTEK Montreal
Venue: SAT Montreal Satosphere
Visual Artist: CLAUDE
Sound Artist: Shin Hyejin

Video Direction, Production, & Interview: Society for Arts and Technology
Videography & Editing: Félix Gagnon-Paquin
Photography: Myriam Menard & Ash KG