French Digital Artists Breathe Life Into God Apollo

The astonishing project of French BK I Digital Art Company, “Golem x Apollo,” has recently brought the disembodied head of ancient Greek god Apollo to life, marking the beginning of a new era for art museum exhibits in the near future. The company used face projection mapping technology in order to animate the sculpture of Apollo, one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek mythology, offering moving eyes and verisimilar facial expressions to their installation.

“In ‘Golem x Apollo’ project we’re using an antic sculpture and video to create an uncanny feeling. Put life into an object. This work is based on the lack of life inherent of virtual imagery and classical sculptural art. ‘Golem x Apollo’ explores the thin line between virtual reality and real virtuality.” Those are the actual words chosen by BK I Digital Art Company artistic director Arnaud Pottier and his colleagues in Villeurbanne, France, in an effort to describe their unconventional inspiration.

Pottier’s artistic team made a real 21st century update to the ancient Greek god of music, poetry, art, light and knowledge by creating a shadowy and haunting atmosphere on the antic sculpture putting a light box underneath it, as one can notice on the videos below. But the “Golem x Apollo” installation is not the first attempt to use special technology to give life to something. For example, the installation shares some similarities with Nobumichi Asai’s “Face Hacking” and “Omote” projects, where real-time face tracking and projection mapping are used on human faces. In addition, visual artist and filmmaker Filip Sterckx along with painter Antoon Verbeeck offer unique optical illusions and interesting dimensions on shapes and structures with the use of similar technology.

Production: BK I Digital Art Company
Art & Creative director: Arnaud Pottier
Technical Direction: Julien Aubry
Motion Designer: Arthur Sotto & Etienne Guiol
Sound Design: Patrick Garbit & Thomas Feugére