Imagine with every step you take, you are brushed with a digital stroke of art. At first, you may be painted as a yellow sunflower, and the next, showered with cherry blossom flowers.
As digital art becomes increasingly popular, we interviewed Wael Soueid, the Executive Director at Infinity des Lumières on what makes this digital art exhibition so popular with the public?
Firstly, what is Infinity des Lumieres?
Infinity des Lumières is born out of a desire to bring a unique perspective to traditional ways of viewing art and celebrate art through a mesmerizing immersive digital exhibition.
As a ground-breaking concept, Infinity des Lumières spreads over an impressive 2,700 sq. meters within The Dubai Mall, bringing to life iconic and contemporary art through 130 projectors, 58 speakers, and an incredible 3,000 HD digital moving images. In addition, Infinity des Lumières has the largest digital facade within The Dubai Mall – a magnificent art projection with a total display area of 200 square meters – all visitors will be transformed by the concept of living dynamic art.
Currently, we have three exhibitions being showcased, Van Gogh, Dreamed Japan, and Verse, guiding visitors through diverse imaginative worlds, where images come to life as a wondrous animated symphony of light, colour, sound, movement, and rhythm.
Infinity des Lumières creates the perfect stage for art to merge with diverse industries and trends through a year-round calendar of inspiring events and unique symposia; all while partnering with the most influential institutions, thinkers, industry leaders, innovators, and emerging local, regional, and international artists.
Is digital art becoming the new norm compared to traditional paintings and drawings?
We can never forget where art really originated from, however, with the availability of modern technology, software, and tools, we have started seeing a new medium of art arise where people can access, interact, and enjoy artworks from international painters like Van Gogh. That’s why Infinity des Lumières is conceptualised to be a welcoming home for those who may not be entirely comfortable in a traditional museum. The art center’s approach focuses on experience and emotion that blends right into the incredible cultural landscape of Dubai and complimenting the grand feats of architecture and design, art and culture.
Are art pieces just as valuable digitally then in a traditional-canvas form?
What I can say is that art surely has its value whether it’s in a traditional form or digital form. Digital art is a new form of artistic expression. It does not shy away from the true meaning of the piece or where it originated from. The purpose is to allow everyone to be part of the artwork by placing them at the center of the art piece.
In addition, the advancements in digital technology are now allowing artists to create a piece that can be seen and appreciated all over the world. Digital art has not only expanded the definition of art but has increased the accessibility of art to the world.
Do you think presenting digital art influences the age range of people who walk in?
Infinity des Lumières welcomes people of all ages every day. One of the main reasons that we created an immersive and digital art exhibition is to make it accessible for everyone to come to enjoy, learn and be part of great masterpieces.
Has social media helped you with marketing the exhibition?
As a new brand launched in the market, social media supported Infinity des Lumières to help create awareness and reach out to a wider audience.
Since our launch in July, we were able to reach out to influencers and bloggers and use their reach on social media to tap different audiences which include residents as well as tourists coming in.
We currently have different social handles, which includes Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube channel as well as creating a comprehensive digital platform. We are soon looking to launch Snapchat and TikTok.
We are active on all channels where we have a presence and since our audience is pretty vast, different channels help us connect with different audiences accordingly.
Which exhibition is most popular, and which one do most visitors snap and upload onto social media?
We have Van Gogh, Dreamed Japan, and Verse currently being displayed in our exhibition. Most people come to see Van Gogh as they’re well aware of his greatness. However, they are left speechless after seeing the other two exhibitions and their audio-visual brilliance. The whole set of programming offers a wide creative journey highly inspiring our visitors.
How has digital art become such a big influence on people and what impact does it have on this generation?
Digital art has created a gateway for everyone to be introduced to art, especially for all kinds of ages. In fact, the CEO of Culturespaces, Bruno Monnier, mentioned to us recently that digital art centers welcome 60% of a country’s older and younger population.
Last, we live in a world where technology has exceeded the way we interact with our daily activities. Definitely, traditional museums will always have an impact, but digital art is going beyond that.
We have noticed that the upcoming generation is gaining access to advanced technology, and Infinity des Lumières is looking to enable the next generation to discover art in an interactive and immersive way. Showcasing cultural richness, Infinity des Lumières is a stepping stone towards a new way people are educated about art, bringing yet another unique and modern addition to the cultural scene. This helps enable harmony amongst our peers to keep enriching and educating the community.
What do you see for the future of Infinity des Lumieres?
What I can tell you is that we are looking forward to welcoming and collaborating with regional and local talents to provide them with a platform to display their art through our brand.
Infinity des Lumières is the perfect stage for art to merge with diverse industries through inspiring events and unique symposia; all while partnering with the most influential institutions, thinkers, industry leaders, innovators, and emerging local, regional, and international artists.
Wael Soueid, Executive Director at Infinity Des Lumières
