'Listening Forest' Might Take the Prize for Most Immersive Exhibition of the Year
Created by acclaimed Mexican-Canadian artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
Art may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Arkansas, but Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s new exhibition will likely put the Natural State on your radar. Known the world over for his large-scale installations that invite public participation, the Mexican-Canadian artist will unveil an ethereal series of work at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Located in Bentonville, roughly a three-hour car ride north of Little Rock, Listening Forest is a site-specific installation mapped across eight unique artworks that are activated by visitors’ heart rate, body, voice and movements. The nighttime experience marks Lozano-Hemmer’s largest outdoor installation to date and will be complemented by a soundtrack composed by electronic musician, Scanner (Robin Rimbaud).
Amongst the work on view, each visitor will take on the role of collaborator by controlling 20-foot-tall stick figures made of light and providing their voice recording into a chorus of echoes from past participants. Arguably the highlight of the show will center around Summon — a luminescent sea of lightbulbs that glimmer to the pulse of each participant.
Listening Forest will open tomorrow, August 31, and run through January 1, 2023. Tickets are available now at the institution’s website.
In related news, teamLab will present a digital aquarium to The Newark Museum of Art.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
600 Museum Way
Bentonville, AR 72712
