Within Reach, a cinematic interactive art installation at Art Wall Jersey City, 2020

"Within Reach" is an cinematic interactive art installation about transformation, reconnecting with the origin, nature and our relationship to it, created by filmmaker Laia Cabrera and visual artist Isabelle Duverger in collaboration with interactive designer Aniol Saurina Masó and composer Nana Simopoulos.

“Within Reach” is a public art installation in a private space.
You can experience the installation and transform it without having to touch anything, and you can interact freely while following the social distancing guidelines. That way, we were making possible art in times of COVID-19! Also, one of our desire was to make the video installation visible from outside, so at night fall and all night, it is visible from the street... and during the day until 10pm, while still being visible from outside, people can come inside and interact with it.

Conceived as a seamless projection mapping design with gesture responsive interactivity, “Within Reach” invites the audience to actively enter the heart of the piece creating a story that unfolds across a series of immersive interactive scenarios. The installation is a sensory experience thought the elements, from the earth to the skies, from liquid shapes to seeds and visual metaphors, and the principle of change and transformation, where the line is blurred between the physical and the digital world, between the real and the imaginary. 

Walk Through a Digital Wall of Nature and Mirrors in This Interactive Art Installation.



Thanks to this new interactive projection art installation, Within Reach, you can become a shape-shifting digital self inside the Art Wall at Coolvines Powerhouse. Only, instead of your image, it reveals an ephemeral body of swirling bubbles, shape of leaves, grains of barley and coffee, and moving particles. 

We are far, minuscule, looking from above, but we are actors, actively morphing and shaping what we see. The sea is moving the trees, from the molecules to the exploration of nature and its fruits. “Within Reach” explores the soul of nature, it’s quietness and its power, fertility trough avatars being the fruits and seeds to the infinitesimal and the microscopic on a journey of landscapes and its enchanting beauty. The human presence is only visible at the beginning at gen end as a minuscule glimpse of looking at the skies, where coffee grains and bubbles are rain on our dreams. 

Once you enter the installation space, a digital reflection of yourself appears in different shapes, textures and forms, and will follow your every move, transforming the projections-visuals as well. Place yourself in front and start waving or moving to see your mirrored image-avatar on the wall. The audience can affect change, create an avatar of themselves and discover ways to interact with the installation, embody the different storylines and share the experience with each other. 

Art Wall Coolvines Powerhouse, 350 Warren Street with Morgan Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302
(2-min walk from PATH train stop Grove Street)
Until October 14, 12pm-Noon to 10pm to interact with the installation (visible as a video installation from outside from 12:00noon to 5:00am)

MORE INFOS

Projections for "Jersey City Nucracker" at Nimbus Dance Works, December 2018

Jersey City Nucracker at Nimbus Dance Works, December 11-22, 2018

"Nimbus Dance Works announces the ninth year of the company's annual holiday tradition: Jersey City Nutcracker. Jersey City Nutcracker tells the story of two children's urban holiday adventure leading them through fantasy, adversity and celebration and teaching them lessons about friendship and community along the way. Choreographed and directed by Nimbus Artistic Director Samuel Pott, this adaption of Tchaikovsky's holiday classic is performed by a stand-out cast of professional dancers from Nimbus Dance Works joined by youth and adults from the community as they portray familiar characters such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Rat King, and Drosselmeyer - all with a Jersey City twist! Amidst colorful sets, costumes, a brightly adorned tree, youth and adults alike are touched by this tale of Christmas spirit. This year’s performances feature an exciting new component: video mapping and projection design by award-winning video artists Laia Cabrera & Isabelle Duverger."

Tickets available online

With: Justin Perez, Hannah Weeks, Brandy White, Victoria Santaguida, Giacomo Bavutti, LeighAnn Curd, Wilson Mayo, Shayla Hutton, Mika Greene, Jameliah MookMook Cunningham, Lauren Stucko, Eury German, Mark Anthony Rizo, Stephanie Beauchamp and Samuel Pott

Goldman Sachs is the Lead Sponsor of Jersey City Nutcracker 2018










Pictures by Isabelle Duverger

“The Now”, the largest video interactive public art installation, now in Times Square

The Now, created by talented filmmakers and video artists Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger through videoart, animation, video mapping and interactivity, with interactivity by NoirFlux and Karan Parikh, is the first featured art presentation at Coolture Impact and the largest interactive public art installation (72 feet long - 22m.) on the windows of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Times Square.
The now offers a journey into magical worlds, intertwining reality and fantasy, opening doors to hidden places and participatory environments. The Now explores transitory spaces and unseen parallel realities, in a cinematic voyage to visually striking realms, live painting, and animated characters with evolving narratives. Visitors are invited to walk, move and unravel the different storylines.

Artist Statement:
"In this peculiar place of transit, where people come and go in a rush, we wanted to create a piece that would allow them to stop, explore and travel to different magical, poetic and imaginary places, and while interacting with the piece, allow the audience to interact with each other, be in the present.
As a result, we tried to allow new technology to be as accessible as possible. This installation is unique and was created specifically with a combination of complex technologies, but with the desire of making it as seamless and approachable to anyone who interacts with it.
As we created the piece, we thought of where it was presented, and of course, being a transportation hub, we though of transporting people to imaginary world, opening doors of a Subway, an Electric Bus and a 1920’s train who wouldn't breath out smoke but butterflies, our personal winks to Climate Change and our concern about it.
We hope you will find the time to see it, it is intended as to be as immersive and imaginative as possible, surrounded by all the flat screens of Times Square, and an attempt to contribute with public art in a over-saturated place of advertising." — Isabelle Duverger

More infos: laiacabreraco.com/thenow
October 25, 2018 to February 7, 2019 (24/7)
At Coolture Impact - Port Authority Bus Terminal
South West Corner of 42nd Street with 8th Avenue, New York, NY

LAIA CABRERA AND ISABELLE DUVERGER
Visual design and art installation created by awarded creative team LAIA CABRERA & Co., co-founded by Spanish filmmaker and video artist Laia Cabrera and French animator and projection mapping artist Isabelle Duverger. Searching for new ways of using the space and visual imaginary as a tool for narrative storytelling and audience connection, driven by both scenographic and dramaturgical aspect and creating immersive content experiences in contemporary artwork.
@laiacabreraco @isabelleduverger

Pictures & Press of Self on the Shelf Immersive Interactive Installation

From left to right: Christine Miele (Curator), Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger (Co-creator of the installation), Nicola Carpeggiani (Interactivity Designer)

Buy our artworks at springbreakartfair.com

Watering the Imagination at the Spring Break Art Show
"Several other exhibitions were visually compelling or inventive, or so fully realized that I couldn’t help but spend the necessary time to suss out their meanings. The show Self on the Shelf was one of those technology-driven extravaganzas, when I touched a black dot on a quotidian furnishing in what was designed to look like a bedroom, the whole scene shifted and music and images wafting across the walls made me feel like by touching the button, I had entered a wormhole."
Seph Rodney for Hyperallergic, March 8, 2018



Our 21 Favorite Moments From SPRING/BREAK Art Show
"This year’s theme, “Stranger Comes to Town,” explores tensions of otherness, through concepts of migration, assimilation, and the nature of belonging.
We’ve selected some of our favorite booths, moments and encounters at this year’s show:
Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, Self on a Shelf"
Kristina Adduci for Art Zealous, March 7, 2018

 



Self on the Shelf. Immersive Video Art Installation / Spring/Break 2018
Self on the Shelf - Stranger Comes to Town - NYC 2018 at Spring/Break Art Show New York 2018 is an immersive art installation that is based on the children's picture book “Elf on the Shelf”. The artists Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, in collaboration with the interaction designer Nicola Carpeggiani, have created a child's bedroom and brought it to life as it responds to a series of clues and prompts, which are given to visitors as they enter the room.
Vernissage TV, New York, March 6, 2018




Politics, Strangers & Art Not to Miss at Spring/Break 2018 
“Self on The Shelf” by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger. Curated by Christine Miele. 

"Self on The Shelf was a distinct departure from the installations and room presentations that dominated the fair. Presenting as a child's bedroom, the work was enlivened through the act of finding and pressing a black button to present a series of changing environment that combined a childlike innocence with adult self-examination that didn't scour. In an unexpected twist, the work contained a live projection component so participates could see themselves appear on the walls as part of the art installation. It's all part of the dreamlike environment and secret places that is more nice than not.
Self on The Shelf was dreamed up by a pair of visual artists with skills in projected mapping, film, video, animation and visual art. Experiencing the installation was not nearly as complicated as the list of skills needed to create the fanciful work. The work is inspired by a childhood toy by the curator's son. His "Elf on the Shelf" was a toy that was a stand in for Santa Claus and, as part of his Christmas team, could report back on whether he was naughty or nice to determine the level of gifts delivered on Christmas Eve.
The Self on The Shelf can transform into both sweet dreams or nightmares where elves take over the room or storms envelop the room. Other actions will create the room to transform into a pool, a drawing that unfolds or to place the visitor in the room as way of looking themselves in the mirror.
Overall, the installation was a fun breathe in an art fair with work that could be heavy on the heart or harsh on the eyes."
Pat Rogers for Hamptons Art Hub, March 10, 2018



Spanish filmmaker Laia Cabrera and animator / videomapper Isabelle Duverger co-create an interactive immersive installation for Spring Break Art Show 2018.
"Through immersive interactive projection mapping, video art, illustration and animation, Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, in collaboration with interaction designer Nicola Carpeggiani, have created a child’s bedroom and bring it to life as it responds to a series of clues or hints, which are given to visitors as they enter the room, turning into a nightmarish dreamscape in honor of the eponymous elf which has become the symbol of children’s intimate acceptance of 21st century surveillance realities.
Extracted from a 2012 journal entry about curator Christine Miele’s son and his relationship with James, his first Elf on the Shelf, the concept of this stranger from the North Pole was born. The dramatic visual effects transforms the room as the viewer explores feelings, emotions and limits between reality and fantasy."
Spain Arts and Culture, March 6, 2018



Christine Miele, Curator
An Immersive Interactive Video Mapping and Sound Art Installation by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger
Interaction by Nicola Carpeggiani / Experiential Branding by Laura Valenzuela / Product Design Artist Amy Pilkington

















Photo Credit: Sammy Sachs, Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger

Self on the Shelf Immersive Interactive Art Installation for Spring/Break Art Show, March 6-12, 2018

In 'Self On The Shelf', filmmaker and videoartist Laia Cabrera and animator and video mapper Isabellle Duverger will co-create an interactive immersive installation for Spring Break Art Show, as part of the Armory Arts Week, turning a small boy's bedroom into a nightmarish dreamscape in honor of the eponymous elf which has become the symbol of our children's intimate acceptance of 21st century surveillance realities.
Through immersive interactive projection mapping, video art, illustration and animation, Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, in collaboration with interaction designer Nicola Carpeggiani, will create a child's bedroom and bring it to life as it responds to a series of clues or hints, which will be given to visitors as they enter the room.
Extracted from a 2012 journal entry about Chris' son and his relationship with James, his first Elf on the Shelf, the concept of this stranger from the North Pole was born. The dramatic visual effects will transform the room as the viewer explores feelings, emotions and limits between reality and fantasy.

Christine Miele, Curator
An Immersive Art Installation by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger
Interaction by Nicola Carpeggiani / Experiential Branding by Laura Valenzuela


Renders by Isabelle Duverger and Laia Cabrera

Self on the Shelf Immersive Interactive Video Mapping Art Installation
Spring/Break Art Show, March 6-12, 2018 
Spring Break Art Show, as part of Armory Arts Week
4 Times Square, New York, NY - March 6-12, 2018 from 11am to 6pm
Guest Passes Here: eventbrite.com/o/springbreak-art-show-12813445625
Artwork on sale here: springbreakartfair.com

This year’s Spring Break Art Show theme is STRANGER COMES TO TOWN, based around the adage ‘There are only two stories: a hero goes on a journey; a stranger comes to town’.

How We Work Animation for Center for Popular Democracy

"This incredible animation showcases the ways in with the Center for Popular Democracy builds power to strengthen our collective capacity to envision and win an innovative pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial and economic justice agenda." — Center for Popular Democracy

Animation, sound design and music editing by Isabelle Duverger (Laia Cabrera & Co.)

Trailer of Deutsches Haus' 40th anniversary Installation

Video Projection Mapping, Videoart and Animation by Laia Cabrera & Isabelle Duverger
Deutsches Haus at NYU - 42 Washington Mews (corner of University Place), Greenwich Village, New York, NY

Projection Mapping on Deusches Haus at NYU for St. Jordi Festival, New York

Projection Mapping, Videoart and Animations by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger (Laia Cabrera & Co.)
April 21st, 2016 - Washington Mews, New York City

"Video projection mappings by award-winning artists Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger (Laia Cabrera & Co.) will transform the façade of Deutsches Haus with an installation in which architecture, drawn illustrations, animations and movement come together in a visual celebration of literature and the legend of Sant Jordi in the heart of Greenwich Village." — St Jordi in New York Festival

View More pictures


Gif by Laia Cabrera & Co.

"As part of the world-renowned Catalan festival “St. Jordi in New York: Dragons & Books & Roses”, visual artists Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger (Laia Cabrera & Co.), will emblazon the NYU building of Deutsches Haus at NYU with flying dragons, dancing roses, and books, on Friday, April 21st, at dusk (around 8 p.m.).
Deutsches Haus at NYU has joined “St. Jordi in New York: Dragons &Books & Roses” by co-presenting two literary events and turning its building into a canvas for the imagination of Cabrera and Duverger, exploring new ways of using space and the visual imaginary as a tool for storytelling and audience connection.
Video projections by award-winning artists Laia Cabrera & Co. will transform the walls of Deutsches Haus at NYU with a visual evocation of literature and legend in the heart of Greenwich Village. Laia Cabrera & Co’s work has been awarded and featured internationally in landmarks like the Tempietto di Bramante in Rome, the historic Georgetown Canal in Washington, D.C., St. John the Divine Cathedral, Times Square, and the White Box Art Gallery in New York.
LAIA CABRERA & CO. is a team of filmmakers, animators, and visual artists based in New York, co-founded by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger.
This spectacular show will close the April 21st event at the neighboring Maison Française, “Abdellatif Laâbi’s Poems of Love and Struggle,” with translator Donald Nicholson-Smith and scholar Robyn Creswell discussing the new collection “In Praise of Defeat,” published by Archipelago Books." — Deutsches Haus at NYU

Pictures by John Harris








The St. Jordi in New York festival is organized by The Farragut Fund for Catalan Culture in the U.S. and the Catalan Institute of America, two non-profit organizations with the shared goal of establishing cultural bridges between Catalonia and America. The program has been designed to highlight the importance of translation and world literature, and has the support of New York City bookstores, libraries, and cultural institutions, including McNally Jackson, Bluestockings, Housing Works, Shakespeare & Co., Rizzoli, Logos, the New York Public Library, the Queens Public Library, PEN America, the Sugar Hill Storytelling Museum, El Born restaurant, KGB Red Room, Archipelago Books, Penguin Random House, the Maison Française and Deutsches Haus of NYU.

Support for the St. Jordi in New York Festival has been provided by Diplocat, the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia, with additional support from the Institut Ramon Llull. Support for the video mapping has been provided by Catalan businesses with subsidiaries in the U.S.: Alsina Formwork Engineering and Giro Pack, Inc.

Video Mapping for DHC - NYEC, New World Stages Theater, NYC

Video design, Animation and Mapping for DHC 2016
Mosaic Wall and Glow Wall Projections and Light Design
December 6-7, 2016 - New World Stages Theater, New York, NY