PROJECT OVERVIEW
Fall of the Damned v1-2 was inspired by Peter Paul Rubens 17th century Baroque masterpiece by the same name. The painting’s message is just as or more relevant today as it was in 1620. Ruben’s “The Fall of the Damned” was chosen as subject material because of the parallels between the 17th century Catholic Church and the Christian conservative movement that dominated the Bush era. The 17th century Catholic Church used religious imagery to instill fear and obedience into the masses. In The Fall of the Damned I wanted to compare that to the propaganda of the Neo Con Republicans who also used apocalyptic religious imagery.
In The Fall of the Damned viewers experienced a large-scale projection of multiple life size figures that cascaded into a hellish abyss. As they fell, they scream out, but their screams were drowned out by the roar of Hell's furnaces that thundered below them. The figures reached out to each other, not to help, but in a vain attempt to save themselves. As the figures approached the bottom of the projection, they begin flailing in horror.
The figures were meant to be seen as live action sculptures. Their forms moved through time and space and were reactive to viewers. An orchestral composition's structure was used as a strategy for keeping highly structured figurative groups balanced as they move through time and space. Aesthetically, the figures in the work kept the projection in compositional balance. As one figure moved, another figure also moved to counterbalance the movement and keep compositional form. The work is reactive and running in real-time.
The work could function solely as animation. The viewer did not have to activate the reactive layer to come away with a rich experience. The reactivity of the piece was quite subtle and matched the very slow speed at which individuals were falling. The experience had a similar feeling as the experience of viewing a painting. While the viewer contemplated the work and fate of the figures, the reactive layer took effect and the falling figures began to react to the viewer. The effect became noticeable to the viewer when multiple figures started reaching out to the viewer for help. The overall effect was an enveloping feeling, as the individual’s field of vision was filled with figures slowly reaching out to them. The falling figures were clawing at the viewer with desperate movements. As the viewer moved from side to side the figures slowly followed the viewer. If the viewer moved away from the projection the figures stopped reaching out for help.