[imagesource: CNN/Twitter]

When we think of technology, we tend to do so in practical terms.

It’s functional and generally makes life easier.

It can also be used to introduce a little beauty into the world, evident in some incredible tech-centred installations that have cropped up over the years.

2015’s “Crystal Universe”, an immersive installation by Japan’s artistic tech wizards TeamLab, comes to mind, as does the 2019 exhibition at Paris’ Atelier des Lumières that invited you to walk through Van Gogh’s paintings.

More recently, the LED façade of South Korea’s SMTown COEX building in Seoul has undergone a makeover, and it has to be seen to be believed.

Over to CNN:

Appearing for exactly one minute every hour, the simulation is so realistic it looks as if water is about to pour over the heads of people who pass through the busy commercial square.

Titled “WAVE,” the project was designed by d’strict – a firm that specializes in using immersive technology to create public art. The project took four months to execute from start to finish, including three months of digital design work to make sure it achieved the desired effect.

Skip ahead to the 15-second mark to get straight to the billboard:

Another angle for good measure:

And this, again from CNN:

A giant wave has appeared on the LED façade of South Korea’s biggest digital billboard, located in Seoul’s Gangnam District https://t.co/5ZRezpeIOB pic.twitter.com/pWuNYiXsR1

— CNN (@CNN) May 21, 2020

Jun Lee, Business Development Director at d’strict, said this:

“We want to create overwhelming experiences.”

“Waves are beautiful and dynamic in themselves but we chose them as our subject because they evoke feelings of comfort – which is much needed now.”

Public opinion has been divided over whether the wave is therapeutic or stress-inducing, with some describing it as a “self-quarantined sea”.

The screen, measuring 80 by 20 meters (262 by 66 feet), is a popular platform for brand advertisements, K-pop videos, and more recently, digital art installations.

The creative project is the latest addition to d’strict’s portfolio, which includes commercial work and outdoor installations, for clients such as Samsung and LG.

In the months to come, once the pandemic is considered more under control, the company plans on launching a technology-inspired indoor theme park on Jeju Island, complete with a holographic theatre and other anamorphic spaces.

There’s a joke about doing it Gangnam style in there somewhere.

Sorry.

[source:cnn]