At the AMA, we look for visionary studios and artists, like Fort Worth-based Adam Fung and Montreal-based Sabrina Ratté, who are creating immersive art in original ways. Through their artistry and meticulous design, we curate multisensory experiences that envelop you inside artwork.
And our Immersive Galleries are up for it! They provide nearly 21,000 square feet of exhibit space with walls that are 18 feet tall.
Today’s immersive art is a varied and unique blend of art and technology. Because you, the viewer, literally step INSIDE immersive art, we want you make the most of your experience.
10 Mindful Tips for Experiencing One Point Five Degrees
Brought together for the first time by the Arlington Museum of Art, digital works by American artist Adam Fung and Canadian artist Sabrina Ratté surround visitors in the museum’s all new Immersive Galleries. Entitled One Point Five Degrees, the immersive art experience draws its name from the 2018 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report on the threats from global climate change. The report details the widespread planetary impacts that would be caused by a rise in global temperature of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Here are 10 tips for using mindfulness techniques to becoming a part of the art itself.
Create an open mindset. Even if your bestie has told you all about the exhibit, or you’ve seen photos or videos in advance of your visit, try let go of any preconceived notions or expectations you already have.
Before you enter our Immersive Galleries, put your phone away. This simple act will allow you move from outside to inside the art without creating any barriers to your first impressions. Give yourself time inside the piece before you decide when to pull your phone back out again.
Move into Gallery #1. What do you see first? Speaking of your first impressions, pay attention to them. Don’t underestimate the reason why you were drawn to something in particular. Trust in your own authority and intuition.
Get comfortable. Find a place to experience the art where you are most comfortable, whether that’s standing or sitting on a bench or space on the floor. Start to notice your breath. Breathe comfortably.
Be present. Immersive pieces are, by nature, so large that your brain can’t take them in all at once. Instead, begin by focusing your attention on a particular detail. If you’re not sure what to look for, consider one of these artistic techniques as an entry point:
- Movement
- Sounds
- Textures
- Colors
- Lines and Shapes
- Patterns
- Subject matter
- Symbolism
- Story or themes
How do you feel? Allow yourself time to tune in and respond to the art. Free associations help elicit an emotional reaction. Let your mind wander and follow your train of thought wherever it leads you. Does the art calm you down or make you happy, irritate or excite you? Does it trigger memories or ideas, and if so, what are they?
Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t try too hard to shut out other visitors and what is going on around you. That’s part of the experience, too.
Look again from a different place in the gallery. Move around inside the artwork to explore different perspectives. Step back. Step up close. Look up and down. Listen to the soundtrack while looking at different elements within the piece.
Share your ideas. Now that you’ve spent time inside the artwork, try and summarize your thoughts and ideas. This could be in your head, with your friends, or with other willing visitors who are experiencing the artwork with you.
Move into Gallery #2, 3, and 4, and repeat the process.
Mindful Looking
According to by Claire Bown with the Thinking Museum, research has shown that slow, mindful looking at art can help to reduce or alleviate stress. It can also result in a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation and wellbeing.
Jon Kabat-Zinn states:
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. It is about a way of being, or a way of responding to the world.
- Mindfulness allows us to become fully present in all aspects of life and to be fully aware of the here and now. By practicing mindfulness techniques, we can learn to slow our thoughts and connect to the moment.
- It helps to calm us down and get out of the ‘quick consumption mode’ that modern life demands of us. Intentional mindfulness practice can therefore help us to shift our pace and ease stress.
- Mindfulness can take many forms – writing, drawing, even more active pursuits such as walking and running can also be mindful activities. It is not just about meditation and breathing.
- Mindfulness can help us to build stability in the present moment, become more aware of our thoughts and to develop a practice of deep looking.
Meet the artists of One Point Five Degrees
Adam Fung
Adam Fung is a Fort Worth-based artist who has created work linked to journeys, the land/sea, patterns of the universe, and climate change over the last 20 years. This has led him to field studies in Antarctic, West Texas, Australia, and the high Arctic, plus visits to particle accelerators and observatories, seed vaults, and other science-related sites around the world.
Fung’s on-going works reflect cycles of time, beauty, and sublime color while using site-specific experiences and photography as a jumping off point. Audiences are invited to contemplate their understanding and relationship to his imagery, especially in the context of global changes due to widespread human activity on the planet.
Sabrina Ratté
Sabrina Ratté, a Canadian artist based in Montreal, explores the diverse forms of digital imagery. Her artistic practice encompasses a wide array of mediums, including analog video, 3D animation, photography, printmaking, sculpture, virtual reality, and installation.
By continuously incorporating new techniques into her work, she delves into recurring themes that include the influence of architecture and the digital environment on our perception of the world, our relationship with the virtual aspects of existence, and the convergence of technology and the natural world.
