Art + Technology Lab at LACMA

What corporations and art always carry in common is that they always pursue innovation for a better world. The partnership between Hyundai Motor and LACMA(Los Angeles County Museum of Art) is based on the common area “technology and innovation” and this includes an interesting project besides exhibitions. The project called the “Art + Technology Lab at LACMA” encourages encounters between the ideas of next-generation artists and technology that can realize those ideas.

The inspiration for this program is from about 50 years ago. From 1967 to 1971, LACMA conducted the “Art and Technology Program”, which matched artists with the companies in Southern California that led sophisticated and innovative technologies and inventions at the time. Under the goal of creating artworks beyond the borders of art and technology, the museum provided an opportunity for local companies and artists who have always desired innovative techniques. Artists such as James Turrell, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Irwin participated in the program becoming partners with companies including Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer of photography, took photographs of the Pacific coast and Yosemite Park on a request by the U.S government in the mid-19th century. He camped in the mountains for months to record the nature and printed the photographs, which were enough to deliver the overwhelming beauty and wonders. In May 2016, the UK-based creative studio, ScanLAB Projects decided to follow the trails of this great predecessor via the “Art + Technology Lab” by applying a rarely used technology, 3D scanning. Even with several years of experience in using razor scanning technology to create artworks, it was a challenge for them to film the Yosemite Park with its exceptionally rough terrain and waterfalls. Santa Fe SUV of Hyundai Motor, a sponsor of the project, was a part of the project throughout the whole journey.

Living in nature and traveling around the park on a Hyundai SUV, ScanLAB Projects captured more than 150 scenes, among which was the lively footage of flowing water recorded for the first time. To present these amazing results, the automobile that has been used during their on-site filming, was remodeled into a small exhibition space and presented at LACMA’s Zev Yaroslavsky Plaza from 6th April 2017 until 18th April 2017 so that the viewers could enjoy the views of the Yosemite Park realized in 3D digital diorama.