FEBRUARY 27 2019

ANNOUNCING: IN PEAK BLOOM

In Peak Bloom Render

Download Press Release – In Peak Bloom – March 20th – June 2nd, 2019 – DC

WASHINGTON, D.C.​ (February 27, 2019) – ARTECHOUSE celebrates spring and women in the arts and tech with the annual cherry blossom inspired seasonal exhibition in the nation’s capital. ​In Peak Bloom features interactive and immersive digital art installations inspired by the fragile beauty and ephemeral nature of the cherry blossom, reminding us of how precious and fleeting life is. Open to all ages, the exhibition is on view March 20th, 2019 through May 27th, 2019 at 1238 Maryland Ave SW, Washington D.C. 20024.

Every year locals and visitors from all over the world gather in D.C. to admire the flowering Sakura trees at the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. For centuries, the cherry blossom has held a special significance in Japanese and East Asian cultures, heralding the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Known for its delicate beauty and distinctively short lifespan, the cherry blossom is a visual reminder of

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how precious and fleeting life is. The pale pink flowers only blossom for a week or two, a period known as “peak bloom,” before their petals start to carpet the ground or get carried off by the wind.

In Peak Bloom​ celebrates both the awe-inspiring beauty of the cherry blossom and its ephemeral nature. Highlights of this year’s exhibition include five installations created by women artists and female-led art collectives. Working with a variety of interactive media, the artists featured in ​In Peak Bloom​ bring the cherry blossoms’ symbolism to life in new ways, updating these time-honored concepts for the 21st century while simultaneously paying homage to traditional themes, such the transient nature of life (​hakanai)​ , and artistic genres like Ukiyo-e.

  • Main Gallery // ​Hana Fubuki (2019)​ by AKIKO YAMASHITA with SACHIKO YAMASHITA & MIKITYPE – Immersive audio-visual installation with interactions
  •  Gallery 1 //​ ​Blooming (2018)​ by LISA PARK – Interactive installation powered by biometric sensors
  • Gallery 2 //​ ​Akousmaflore et Lux (2007)​ by SCENOCOSME – Audio-visual interactive installation with living plants
  • Media Lab // ​Enchanted Garden (2019)​ by DESIGN FOUNDRY – Mixed-media installation with augmented reality
  • Mezzanine Bar //​ ​Sakaba​ – Augmented reality cocktail bar by ARTECHOUSEThe works take their inspiration from both the cherry blossoms’ iconic form as well as its traditional symbolism and mythology. The theme of “ephemerality,” in particular, features prominently in the exhibition — like the short-lived period of “peak bloom,” many of the works call our attention to the passing of time, momentary exchanges, and the impermanence that characterizes all life on earth.

    In Peak Bloom​ will open for an exclusive Press Preview on March 19, 2019, with subscribers early access on March 20, 2019 and to the public starting March 21, 2019.

    TIMES & HOURS:​
    In Peak Bloom ​is on view to the public March 21 – May 27, 2019,
    Daytime Admission All Ages: Sun – Thur 10am – 7pm; Friday & Saturday 10am – 5pm After Hours Admission (21+): Sun – Thur 7pm – 10pm; Fri & Sat 5:30pm – 11:30pm

  • Augmented Reality bar operates daily from 11am till closing serving cherry blossom inspired digital AR cocktails and mocktails.

TICKETS:

Single and group tickets ranging from $8-16 can be reserved in advance at artechouse.com starting March 1. Onsite tickets ranging from $10-20 can be purchased for available sessions.

LOCATION:

ARTECHOUSE is located between Smithsonian and L’Enfant Plaza metro stations at 1238 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC, just next door to the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

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ABOUT ARTECHOUSE

ARTECHOUSE

ARTECHOUSE, based in Washington, DC, is a first of a kind innovative art space dedicated to showcasing experiential and technology driven works by artists who are forerunners of the new age in the arts and technology. With a mission to inspire, educate, and empower the creation of new, experiential and exploratory art form, ARTECHOUSE connects audience to the arts, and stimulates interest in the limitless possibilities of technology, science and creativity. Since it’s opening in June 2017 ARTECHOUSE has welcomed over 350,000 visitors and was featured in New York Times, BBC, USA Today, National Geographic, CNN, Washington Post and numerous other national and international media outlets as the premier contemporary art space. ARTECHOUSE also houses the first in the U.S. Augmented Reality bar serving drinks activated with its free AR mobile app available on app store and google play.

artechouse.com​ \\ @artechouse \\ ​#artechouse​ ABOUT INSTALLATIONS

AKIKO YAMASHITA with SACHIKO YAMASHITA & MIKITYPE

Hana Fubuki​ (2019)

Inspired by nature’s ability to help us see what is otherwise invisible to the naked eye, such as the passing of time, ​Hana Fubuki​ refers to “Sakura snow,” or the way falling cherry blossom leaves can resemble a gentle snowfall or a swirling blizzard as they are carried off by the wind. The gestures and movements of audience members become the wind that powers this installation, which combines the woodblock print techniques of traditional Ukiyo-e art with 3D animations and interactive technology to bring the landscape to life.

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LISA PARK

Blooming​ (2018)

Lisa Park is a Korean-American artist who uses biometric sensors, such as heart rate and brain wave sensors, to create intimate environments that excavate hidden emotional states such as vulnerability, intimacy, and confrontation.

Blooming ​highlights the importance of presence and physical connection in our lives. The work is inspired by Park’s experiences living abroad in the U.S. and feeling detached from family and friends back home in Korea. The installation, which takes the form of a life-size cherry blossom tree, responds to physical contact between two to four participants. When participants stand before the tree and hold hands or embrace, the tree will flourish; when they release, it will wither into its pre-bloomed state.

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SCENOCOSME

Akousmaflore et Lux (​ 2007)

Akousmaflore is an interactive installation, a small garden composed of living musical plants, which react to gentle contact. Each plant reacts in a different way to contact by producing a specific sound. The plant “language” or song occurs through touch and the close proximity of the spectator. Our invisible electrostatic energy acts on the plant branches and encourages them to react. The plants sing when the audience is touching or lightly stroking them. A plant concert is created.

DESIGN FOUNDRY

Enchanted Garden (2019)

Gardens have played an important role in Japanese spiritual and philosophical life since antiquity. Japanese gardens have their roots in the ancient religion of Shinto, Japan’s traditional religion, which is devoted to the worship of “spirits”, “essences” or “energies” (​kami​) that reside in everything, including rocks, trees, rivers, animals, and people, emphasizing natural beauty and have always been conceived as representations of natural settings. They serve as a visual reminder of the fragility of existence and the unyielding passage of time.

The ​Enchanted Garden​ installation at ARTECHOUSE is inspired by Shinto’s belief in the sacred divinity inherent in all things. ​Using a mix of natural and recycled artistic mediums such as metal, felt, sand and straw, interwoven with resin and wood, a team of female designers, painters, and creative artisans created the ​Enchanted Garden​ to offer visitors an escape from the frenetic world outside. ​Through augmented reality (AR) the installation tells the story of ​The Rabbit in the Moon​, a legend from Japanese folklore.