Blurring the lines between what is real, what is not, and what it means to be human, Intangible Forms offers you the opportunity to pause and exist outside of normal space and time.
Powered by choreographed kinetic lasers, strobes, haze, and moving lights, this multi-sensory exhibition is dramatic, visceral, and operatic in nature. Throughout multiple rooms of installations, intentional minimalism and repetitive, modular rhythms create a hypnotic, entrancing environment where the intangible can become tangible.
“A marvel of light, precision and passion … something you need to experience to believe” — Gabi Sandler, MTL Blog
**Disclosure — Recommended ages 6+. The show utilizes lasers as well as strobe lights, and is not recommended for individuals with a family or personal history of epilepsy, anxiety, migraines, heart conditions, seizures, and/or sensitivity to lights. The show employs the use of water-based haze special effects. While all ingredients are safe, they may be irritating for those with asthma or respiratory conditions.
Set in a meditative soundscape inspired by the powerful quiet of Shinto shrines in the mountains of Japan, visitors will see the centerpiece laser beams dance through the air — a performance at the intersection of human and machine — inviting all to feel a connection to the living beings of the past, present and future. This central idea is continued through a series of 10 more works throughout the space.
Japanese multimedia artist Shohei Fujimoto encourages visitors to connect to their core humanity and surroundings through this exhibition. “I’ve been trying to generate virtual consciousness and, in extension, virtual life in this work, triggering a deeper sense of humanity in ourselves.”
Keep reading to explore each installation…
Intangible #sculpt
Shohei Fujimoto
Robotic, laser, and air installation, 2024
The wind blowing from a custom-made unit fixed to the tip of the robot arm sets the fabric into motion, creating a gentle flutter. Laser modules on the ground project illuminated surfaces onto the fabric surrounding the robot, resulting in organic and dynamic lines that appear to dance upon its surface. In this installation, the robot arm acts as a sculptor of the air, while the interplay of the laser and fabric transforms the inherently intangible into a visually captivating display.
The movement of the robot arm, as it interacts with the fabric, evokes the sense of encountering an enigmatic presence, as if observing its existence or contemplating its own physicality. This interaction manifests as an almost sentient exchange. While the robot arm orchestrates the fabric’s movement in a mechanical and reproducible manner, the fabric itself responds with an organic and unpredictable rhythm. This juxtaposition between the technological manipulation of the fabric and its innate organic qualities illustrates the delicate interplay between the physical and digital realms, offering a harmonious convergence of contrasting attributes.
Intangible #form
Shohei Fujimoto
Real-time kinetic laser and light installation, 2024
15 min
Shohei Fujimoto explores the transformation of intangible concepts into tangible experiences with his signature piece, intangible #form. Through a meticulously choreographed performance utilizing 312 kinetic red light laser beam modules and an abstract soundscape, Fujimoto creates an immersive environment that evokes the essence, presence, and behavior of life itself.
At its core, intangible #form reflects the universal human experience, transcending language and culture to connect with the shared system of life and death. Fujimoto invites visitors to embrace a pure sensory journey, fostering a deeper connection to the essence of existence.
Using technology, Fujimoto blurs the boundaries between reality and perfection, creating structure and spaces that challenge our understanding of the tangible and intangible. By incorporating real-time computations and primitive data into the artwork, Fujimoto offers viewers a unique opportunity to explore human cognition and imagery from a bird’s-eye view.
As you immerse yourself in intangible #form, contemplate the interplay between the physical and the abstract and ponder the profound depths of what it means to be alive.
*Fujimoto iterates of #form for each new location where the work is presented, carefully calibrating the piece to fit its environment.
dynamic light statics
Shohei Fujimoto
Code-based visual experiment, 2022
3 min 15 sec
Fujimoto explores the interplay between physical rules and digital reconstruction. Five monitors display a particle-based environment in which lines of light follow natural laws.
Fujimoto’s process is akin to architectural analysis, where statics and structural mechanics are applied to dynamic visuals. The ever-changing structures on the monitors pause periodically, resembling medical imagery frozen in time. In this stillness, the artist delves into the hidden potential behind the structures, akin to uncovering hidden data in architecture.
This iterative process is autonomous and infinite, with the computer continuously analyzing its creations. The result is an evolving display of lines, each emerging from automated analytical methods, inviting viewers to ponder the unseen connections between physical reality and digital exploration.
dynamic light statics 2
Shohei Fujimoto
Code-based visual experiment, 2023
3 min 15 sec
Fujimoto continues his exploration of treating lines based on physical rules, such as the reflection of light, and reconstructing them through the lens of structural analysis used in architecture and mechanics
The dynamic structures, reminiscent of architectural forms, are periodically frozen in a state of stillness. Fujimoto examines the structures from a planar perspective during these moments, akin to studying a 2D architectural drawing. This process reveals hidden data and visual possibilities within the structures, highlighting the autonomous nature of the computer’s analysis of its creations.
power of one #empty
Shohei Fujimoto
Kinetic laser and projection installation, 2019
3 min 47 sec
In #empty, Fujimoto explores the concept of emptiness through the interplay of light and space. Fujimoto uses a laser and projector to create a dynamic visualization of emptiness on a 2-dimensional surface, reflecting the rules and nature of physical light in the real world. The installation continually examines the concept of ‘Empty’ from various perspectives, displaying and concealing data obtained from reflection algorithms.
The relationship between the reflection data and the cube drawn by the laser is synchronized in real time, offering viewers a glimpse into the interconnectedness of light and perception. Despite appearing as a solid, 3-dimensional shape, the cube is in a perpetual state of creation, mirroring the cyclical nature of existence.
#empty prompts us to ponder the nature of reality and perception. As light defines the space around us by bouncing off objects, Fujimoto invites us to contemplate how we perceive the world through the physical properties of light. Ultimately, the installation invites viewers to question what is real and how we interpret our surroundings in the ever-shifting interplay of light and perception.
power of one #extrude
Shohei Fujimoto
Kinetic laser installation, 2018
3 min
In power of one #extrude, Shohei Fujimoto employs a single laser projector, an apparatus featuring ten motos, and individual strips of one-way mirrors. The motos, embedded within the apparatus, rotate thin one-way mirror strips attached to their tips. Each strip operates on its own axis, rotating at varying speeds determined by the motors RPM (revolutions per minute), which differ due to their internal structures. Rather than viewing these discrepancies as flaws, Fujimoto incorporates them as variables into the artwork.
Two square mirrors arranged in parallel project the abstract image emitted from the laser projector perpendicularly onto the rotating mirrors. Like a living entity, the image has its own time axis and undergoes periodic changes in appearance. This setup creates a self-contained, infinite space filled with intricate relationships. Within this space, radiant laser lines, fragments, and reflections intertwine to form mesmerizing patterns and repetitions.
data subsidence
Shohei Fujimoto
Real-time kinetic laser installation, 2022
3 min 15 sec
An industrial motor rotates a circle board adorned with phosphorescent paint. Laser graphics dance across its surface, leaving luminous trails that blur the boundaries between physical and virtual realms. These traces, recorded as virtual coordinates, seamlessly merge with the board’s movement, creating a fleeting visual experience where light and form converge.
In this mesmerizing installation, Fujimoto explores the interplay between the tangible and intangible. Each rotation becomes a canvas for the light, inviting viewers to contemplate the beauty of data in motion. data subsidence is a journey into the depths of perception, where the simple act of rotation unveils a world of endless possibilities.
power of one #distortion
Shohei Fujimoto
Real-time kinetic laser and projections installation, 2022
9 mins 43 sec
A hemispherical sculpture is projected with different light properties of a laser and a projector. The shape of the projected light is distorted to draw curves and surfaces due to the nature of the reflection that exists inside the sculpture, which maintains its shape by constant physical pressure. The resulting reflection behaves like a living organism.
#echo
Shohei Fujimoto
Code-based visual experiment, 2023
Here’s a combined English description of Shohei Fujimoto’s installation #echo, drawing from both the English and Japanese explanations:
In #echo, homogeneous patterns, shapes, and structures undergo dynamic, continuous, and autonomous transformations within irregularly generated areas of regularity These shapes repeatedly appear and disappear across time and space, intermittently exploring their fluid presence.
The design aims to evoke inherent patterns and the universal rhythmic harmony of natural phenomena through the reflection and repetition of images, engaging the observer’s perception. Inspired by contemporary Al’s visualization of information, the overlapping of images draws inspiration from Al’s structured data based on shared past recordings.
Visual information produced by Al resembles intangible and latent memories, colliding within our perception, making us aware of their elusive nature.
While #echo is inspired by Al, it doesn’t utilize Al. Instead, it explores unique expressions arising from the collision of latent visual information using simple shapes. The goal is to create a sense of Al’s pseudo-experiences, mirroring our perception’s ephemeral and non-material entities.
power of one #surface
Shohei Fujimoto
Sculptural kinetic laser installation, 2020
2 min 15 sec
The installation power of one #surface features a symmetrical arrangement of two lasers, two rotating one-way mirrors, two stationary parallel one-way mirrors, and two motors. Each component is positioned on the right and left sides to create vertical symmetry. Utilizing the unique properties of mirrors-reflective on one side and transparent on the other-the artwork generates a captivating visual effect: reflections of each side mirror each other.
Unlike conventional mirrors that reflect light, Fujimoto’s mirrors capture and hold it within their surface, creating mesmerizing interplay of light and reflection. Both sides of the artwork operate on the same time axis, reflecting identical behavior.
The lasers emit images toward the fixed mirrors, creating a complex interplay of intangible space where reflections multiply and fade. This concept of intangibility is further emphasized by each side’s changing view and behavior, depending on the viewer’s position. Through the movement of its components, ‘Power of One #Surface’ evokes a sense of time compression and dilation, as if past and future moments converge and diverge, intersecting in a mesmerizing dance.
intangible #surface
Shohei Fujimoto
Kinetic laser installation, 2024
#array seeks to redefine viewers spatial awareness through the use of symmetry. Laser installations positioned in two separate spaces, each on the left and right, converge to form a dynamically symmetrical structure. Enhanced by the reflective properties of a central mirror, this symmetrical essence permeates the entire space, inviting viewers to experience a newfound sense of balance and harmony.
Within this environment, various voids create a sensation of spatial expansion and contraction, as if the fabric of perception is in flux. It’s as though the individual cells of the space align and merge, giving rise to a singular order that captivates the observer. The interplay between the physical structure and its mirrored counterpart introduces subtle fluctuations in spatial perception, prompting viewers to embark on a journey of self-discovery by exploring their own senses and perspectives.
intangible #umbra
Shohei Fujimoto
Kinetic laser and projections installation, 2022
9 min 43 sec
In this installation, Fujimoto explores the theme of reconstructing the existence of shadows through a blend of realistic and abstract expressions. Focusing on the interplay between computer generated graphics and the physical optical axis of the laser modules, Fujimoto orchestrates a captivating dance of light and shadow. The absence of light and the resulting shadows serve as a dimensional extension of the visuals, offering viewers a mesmerizing journey through the interplay of tangible and intangible elements By juxtaposing physical elements with abstract graphic content, Fujimoto creates a dynamic tapestry that invites contemplation on the nature of perception and reality.
