-Reflections in a Virtual Nature- (Queries in Algorithmic Landscapes) mmersive installation, by media artist Geert Mul. April 2024 to September 15, 2024, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.
In his recent work, Geert Mul (1965) creates virtual landscapes that are often colorful and poetic, but also ask questions about who we are as humans in a rapidly digitalizing world. Reflections in virtual nature is a wonderful example of this. In this artificial and enchanting natural landscape, the seasons pass: falling leaves, snowflakes and rain storms swirl around you. At the same time you hear samples of spoken texts from various Hollywood films. Mul searched these texts in a huge subtitle database and then mixed them into new dialogues. This creates virtual characters who, while musing, ask themselves out loud who they are and who the other is, within an ever-changing virtual landscape.
After 25 years of artistic practice, investigating and questioning the assumed dividing lines between people, technology and nature has become the common thread in Geert Mul’s work. ‘We must learn to better recognize and understand how technology influences our relationship with nature. And just like the characters in my installation, we reflect again and again on who we are in the mutual relationship to nature and technology”
Geert Mul is a pioneer in the field of digital art. In the mid-nineties, Mul became one of the first VJs in the alternative techno scene. His work grew into interactive, audiovisual works of art and installations, which can be seen in public spaces, museums and at festivals. In 2016, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam presented Mul’s first solo museum exhibition entitled Match Maker. To mark the occasion, the museum also acquired three works by Mul for the collection. Geert Mul is a pioneer in the field of digital art. In the mid-nineties, Mul became one of the first VJs in the alternative techno scene. His work grew into interactive, audiovisual works of art and installations, which can be seen in public spaces, museums and at festivals. In 2016, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam presented Mul’s first solo museum exhibition entitled Match Maker. To mark the occasion, the museum also acquired three works by Mul for the collection.