ACMI set to take visitors on a sublime sensory journey this summer with Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature

ACMI set to take visitors on a sublime sensory journey this summer with Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature

From the roots of a majestic Amazonian tree to the cells inside our bodies and the galaxies above, everything is connected. London-based experimental art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) will illuminate these hidden connections beyond our everyday perception, in a world premiere exhibition at ACMI this summer, from 23 November 2023 – 14 April 2024.

Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature features four major digital artworks on a grand, awe-inspiring scale plus evocative works on paper. Incorporating guided meditation and transcendent, interactive experiences, visitors evolve from droplets of water to majestic and ancient trees, cells and black holes – gaining a deeper understanding of the natural world, and our place within it.

MLF have mesmerised audiences across the globe – from Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals to London’s V&A and Design Museum, to Lisbon Triennial, Istanbul Design Biennial and beyond – using immersive creative technology to deepen our understanding of, and connection to, the world around us.

Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature is MLF’s first major exhibition in Australia. It includes artworks executive produced by the late Edward R. Pressman and filmmaker Terrence Malick; and collaborations featuring narration by executive producer Cate Blanchett; poetry by Daisy Lafarge; and music by Jon Hopkins, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Meredith Monk, Howard Skempton and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.

ACMI Director and CEO Seb Chan said: “ACMI is thrilled to bring the work of Marshmallow Laser Feast to Australia for the first time. This exhibition reflects the power of large-scale moving image works and creative use of projection technologies to produce immersive experiences that demonstrate how our bodies and the natural world are so intrinsically connected. Works of Nature is an unforgettable experience that can inspire us to work towards a better future.”

Marshmallow Laser Feast Partner and Director Ersin Han Ersin said: We are honoured to collaborate with ACMI's curatorial team, to create this unique new presentation of our major artworks. Our artistic practice is a constant journey of discovery into the world beyond the limits of human senses. Our passion for ecology, astronomy, and technology has driven us to collect tree data in the Amazon, explore the sound of black holes, and scan the entirety of the human body in microscopic detail, then transforming these explorations into transcendent, immersive experiences. We are excited to share our work with ACMI’s audiences and to engage in a conversation about the beauty of the natural world and the wonders of the universe.”

Minister for Creative Industries, Steve Dimopoulos said: “As one of the world’s busiest and best screen culture museums, ACMI continues to present a unique program of exhibitions that celebrate the creative power of the screen and cutting-edge technologies. In partnering with Marshmallow Laser Feast to premiere their latest exhibition here in Melbourne, ACMI will offer us a world-leading immersive experience of nature this summer.”

The five works that collectively make Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature include:

Sanctuary of the Unseen Forest – This large-scale video installation of an Amazonian kapok tree embraces audiences as they enter the gallery, the work draws attention to the immensity of our natural world and puts the human body into perspective.

Evolver – From the exhale of a tree to the first intake of human breath, Evolver takes visitors on a voyage through the body, following the flow of oxygen to its origin as a single living cell. Originally devised as a VR experience, the work has been reimagined for ACMI’s Gallery 4. It includes a meditation space with narration from Cate Blanchett, a visual journey of the breath, and a hypnotic sequence that connects the birth of a cell with the cosmos.

Distortions in Spacetime – After emerging from a meditative state in Evolver, visitors journey through space to the edge of a black hole. This interactive voyage between time, space and human experience harnesses the energy of the universe and explores the link between black holes, dying stars and the human body.

The Tides Within Us - Six large scale static images reveal the rhythms of oxygen flowing through the branching ecosystem of the human body. The work challenges the boundaries between humans and the environment, and where the body begins and ends.

We Live in an Ocean of Air – The final work of the exhibition brings visitors back to earth and continues the journey of a single breath. Revealing the invisible connection between plants and people, We Live in an Ocean of Air delves into the wondrous rhythm that underpins life on earth.

Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature is a transformative exhibition that will spark renewed wonder in nature, science, space, and the simple act of breathing. An education program, including student visits that are linked with curriculum and interactive school holiday sessions, will make this a compelling exhibition for visitors of all ages to discover.

Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature will show in ACMI’s Gallery 4 from 23 November 2023 – 14 April 2024. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on 9 November, with early access for ACMI Members and school groups. For further details visit acmi.net.au.

Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature is proudly supported by our generous partners; Major Technology Partner Panasonic and Supporting Partner the British Council.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Download media assets here
• Watch Marshmallow Laser Feast Partner and Director Ersin Han Ersin’s TED Talk here
• For further information please contact media@acmi.net.au

Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature
23 November 2023 – 14 April 2024
Gallery 4, ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne
acmi.net.au

Ticketing Information
Full tickets $20 with substantial discounts for concession card holders, Students, ACMI Members and under 35s. School groups and people under 16 are $5 per person, Blak Members are free.

Optional VR experience: experience Evolver in its original Virtual Reality (VR) format with a $10 add-on to your exhibition entry

Tickets on sale to the general public on 9 November 2023. To book visit acmi.net.au.

ABOUT ACMI
ACMI is Australia’s national museum of screen culture. The museum reopened in February 2021 after a two-year, $40 million redevelopment – an architectural, programmatic and technological transformation. Navigate the universe of film, TV, videogames and art with us. ACMI celebrates the wonder and power of the world’s most democratic artform – fostering the next generation of makers, players and watchers. ACMI’s vibrant calendar of exhibitions, screenings, commissions, festivals, and industry and education programs explore the stories, technologies and artists that create our shared screen culture. More at acmi.net.au.

ABOUT MARSHMALLOW LASER FEAST
Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) are a London-based art collective led by artists and directors Robin McNicholas, Ersin Han Ersin and Barnaby Steel who work at the intersection of science, art and technology – employing a wealth of creative disciplines, from installation to kinetic sculpture, film to live performance.

MLF’s work invites participants into a sensory journey that reinterprets the idea of human perception and experiences beyond our everyday perception. MLF’s approach is one of collaboration with artists, engineers and scientists, building bespoke software and hardware systems to realise their visions.

MLF has designed and directed for the likes the critically acclaimed Saatchi Gallery debut; We Live in an Ocean of Air, and In The Eyes of the Animal, which won the Wired Innovation Award for Experience Design.  MLF’s work Evolver received the Storyscapes Special Jury Mention at Tribeca Film Festival and Treehugger, Wawona received Best VR Film at VR Arles Festival.

MLF’s work has been exhibited in the UK and internationally, including at the Saatchi Gallery, NXT Museum, Lisbon Triennial, Istanbul Design Biennial, the Sundance Film Festival, and the V&A and Design Museum, London.

@marshmallowlaserfeast | Marshmallowlaserfeast.com

ARTWORK CREDITS

Sanctuary of the Unseen Forest
By Marshmallow Laser Feast
Originally commissioned by Barbican Immersive

Evolver
Narrated By: Cate Blanchett
Executive Producers: Edward R. Pressman & Terrence Malick
Executive Producers: Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini, Andrew Upton, Nicole Shanahan
Producers: Sam Pressman, Antoine Cayrol
Directed by Marshmallow Laser Feast
An Atlas V, Pressman Film and Marshmallow Laser Feast Production
In Association with Dirty Films
Supported by Nicole Shanahan & Bia-Echo Foundation
Made in Collaboration With Natan Sinigaglia
Key scientific collaborator: The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS

The Tides Within Us
By Marshmallow Laser Feast
Co-commissioned by York Mediale with Coventry City of Culture Trust
Key scientific collaborator: The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS

Distortions in Spacetime
By Marshmallow Laser Feast
Commissioned by Manchester Science Festival, part of the Science Museum Group in partnership with The British Science Festival and University of Hull

We Live in an Ocean of Air
By Marshmallow Laser Feast