London, Great Kingdom
“Medusa is an exploration of translating architectural thinking into an entirely new medium, which we refer to collectively as Mixed Reality,” explains Todd Eckert, co-founder of Tin Drum.
“Art and architecture overlap when you remove the barriers architects traditionally have to work around, like gravity and shelter. In a Mixed Reality medium, structures are constructed entirely out of light, so you have more room for dynamic behavior.
Our creative concept focused on the role of architecture in creating spaces for sharing narratives and developing culture – which is implicit in the design of churches, marketplaces, and office buildings.”
Sou Fujimoto in collaboration with mixed reality studio Tin Drum, have created an innovative new installation, “Medusa,” inside the The Raphael Court at the Victoria & Albert Museum, during the 19th annual, London Design Festival 2021.
“Medusa” is an architecture installation in a mixed reality medium, examining the interrelation of nature and art, creating an installation that merges real life with a virtual world.
“Medusa” [Architecture + Reality (A+R)] is an immersive proposal where visitors to put on special headsets and navigate around an organic-shaped structure that morphs and evolves in response to movement.
The audience dons a headset to view content that is presented in their space.
Sou Fujimoto and Tin Drum performances connect people and stories in ways that go beyond anything that has ever been possible in traditional mediums, enabling richer, deeper experiences.
With storytelling no longer bound by traditional “flat screen” media, Tin Drum is introducing a new way to experience Fujimoto’s iconic interchange of nature and architecture by invoking a collective human experience set to take its audience on a journey of self-exploration.
Inspired in part by the aurora borealis and underwater bioluminescence, Medusa’s structure changes and evolves based on the movement of its admirers, elevating audiences to become part of a mixed experience.
This creates a breakthrough for individuals to follow their own emotional responses, engage in the experience, and develop a sense of agency and intimacy that was not achievable until now.
Project: “Medusa”
Architects: Sou Fujimoto Atelier Paris in collaboration with Tin Drum
Client: Victoria & Albert Museum
Photographers: David Vintiner
