Contemplative Art x Creative Coding

A Visual Album Auguries of Innocence (Available from 28 Feb)

As a collaboration with a team of experts, including cross-disciplinary artist-curator Wong Chi-yung, music composer An Tôn Thất and creative technologist Markus Lanxinger, the online virtual artwork "Auguries of Innocence" is inspired by William Blake.  The artwork creates a visual album in the form of website, transcends the concept of mindfulness practice and contemplative arts into immersive experience with a wide range of elements such as creative coding, music, soundscape, virtual art and generative art.  Embraced by visuals and audios, audiences are invited to seek their own pace of equanimity through practices of idleness.

The visual album is created with online creative coding technology that enables your browser to generate real-time ultra-HD 4K 3D images with over one million polygons, and provides a cinematic experience in a contemplative virtual space through the browser.  A desktop computer with a dedicated graphic card and a google chrome are required for the best viewing experience of this artwork.  If you do not have the recommended system, you are welcome to view the Recorded Animated Version in your computer or smartphone.

4K Real-Time Generative Immersive Version

Recorded Animation Version (If you do not have the recommended system, you are welcome to view it in your computer or smartphone)

Processor:

Intel i7 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500 / Apple Silicon (M1), 16GB RAM

Graphics:

Nvidia GTX 1080 / AMD RX570 (or better）

Memory:

16GB RAM (Minimum)

Browser:

Google Chrome (98.0.4758.81+) / Microsoft Edge/ Brave

Notes: Apple Safari, Tablets and Phones are not supported.

Only available in Chinese.

Dialogue with Wong Chi-yung

Q: Besides artistic director and installation artist Wong Chi-yung, would you please introduce the key members in the team?

Wong: This artwork is the result of my cross-disciplinary collaboration with several experts, including music composer An Ton That, soundscape artist Soloan Chung, creative technologist Markus Lanxinger, code developer Guillaume Fradin, 3D Artist Dusan Saric and their teams.

Q: How has your team transformed the artistic concept of Auguries of Innocence into a browser-based online experience?

Wong: With the web-based application and creative coding technologies such as using WebGL - Application Programming Interface (API) technology, we have combined music, soundscape design, installation art, and 3D art into creating this online art installation

Q: How the visual effect of this artwork different from the usual 3D experience online? 

Wong: Usual experience is simple colour and texture mapping with the application of low polygon; while Auguries of Innocence is created with online creative coding technology that enables your browser to generate real-time ultra-HD 4K 3D images with more than one million polygons, and provides a realistic contemplative virtual space through the browser.  Audience can view the scenery of valley, ocean and lake in high resolution and appreciate the very fine details of each element.  In some of the scenes, audience can even pan your mouse either left or right to view a wider virtual space. 

Q: Which technologies have been mainly used in this work?

Wong: WebGL is shortform of Web Graphics Library, which is a javascript Application Programming Interface (API) for rendering interactive 2D and 3D graphics within any compatible web browser and without the use of any plug-ins.  WebGL demonstrates GPU-accelerated usage of physics and image processing and effects as part of the web page canvas.  It also allows users to display 3D scenes and models smoothly, see and interact with 2D and 3D objects in the browser, including all settings for light, texture, and materials, and this is how creative coder helps us to build the entire virtual artwork with the application of this technology.  WebGL is also the same technology used in Google Maps and many other interactive web experiences.

Q: What was the biggest challenge of the team?

Wong: There were multiple challenges in the production process, for example, to maintain the balance between high resolution effects and effective computing; to develop code that enables the browser to generate real-time ultra-HD 4K 3D images without installing any software by the audience.  Besides the above-mentioned WebGL, the team has contributed much efforts in the enhancement of coding technology and 3D graphics, for example, the application of Three.js to create objects, parent objects to one another, and add materials to them.  And on top of that, we used Polygonjs to give us artistic control, where we had a UI to prototype ideas quickly, fine-tune animations, and create shaders.

The other challenge is the collective perception on how we recognise what a browser can offer us.  Traditionally, we use an internet browser as a source of entertainment or information.  The idea that an internet browser as a source of artistic experience to replace going to visit a gallery, a museum or a theatre is not entirely common yet, but it is actually evolving amazingly fast. 

Q: What is your expectation on virtual art and this project?

Wong: During the pandemic in these 2 years, many artists across the world are currently experimenting with new ways to invite audiences into them, for example, the use of virtual galleries has grown very quickly.  The technology is still growing, creating a lot of new possibilities for artists to present their works beyond physical venues, and will keep on changing our mode of perception.  Visual album Auguries of Innocence is targeted to break the boundaries of physical exhibition and opening up the accessibility of virtual art for enjoyment by everyone in everytime and everywhere. 

Wong Chi-Yung  |  Artistic Director

A cross-disciplinary artist and curator.  His work includes experiential installations, lighting installations, and creative education, emphasizing the communication between arts and sciences.  His collaborators include: Theatre of Liege, Belgium, West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong Arts Centre, ETH Zurich, and the Artists-in-Labs Program at the Institute of Cultural Studies of Zurich University of the Arts, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, etc.  Recently, he was selected as one of the Art Fellows 2020 by Yale University in the United States, where he developed arts and mental health projects.

Markus Lanxinger | Creative Technology Technologist

An entrepreneur and creative technologist with a background in computer science and filmmaking.  He has spent years working on Hollywood blockbusters like Spider-Man, Transformers and X-men before moving into technology, subsequently joining Nokia, working on 360 cameras and livestreams all over the world.  Later he founded a company that creates 3D digital twins for the art industry while heavily reducing the carbon footprint being caused by shipping artworks all over the world.

An Tôn-Thất  | Composer

A Vietnamese composer.  His realm of artistry ranges from contemporary dance, film and art exhibitions to songwriting and instrumental music.  He had collaborated with Japanese choreographer Jo Kanamori and his company NOISM on "NINA" (2005), "PLAY 2 PLAY" (2007), "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" (2010) and "The Dream of the Swan" (2017).  In 2013, he was commissioned by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra to compose "The Legend of Thánh Giống" which premiered at the Berlin Philharmonie Hall.  In 2019, he won the "Best Arranger Award" at the Golden Melody Award in Taiwan for Sam Liao’s album "Forgotten West”.

Artist Talk Series "Talks in 3 Parts"

The Curator Wong Chi-yung will share his viewpoints and perspectives behind the creation of "Auguries of Innocence", and his thought processes of artistic research by exploring various topics on mindfulness, cross disciplinary collaboration and creative technology. 

Episode 1: Exploring Mindfulness (Available from 11 Feb) 

Episode 2: Exploring Cross Disciplinary Collaboration (Available from 18 Feb) 

Episode 3: Exploring Creative Technology (Available from 25 Feb) 

In English with Chinese and English subtitles

Select Subtitles Language:
1. (On Computer) At the bottom right of the video player, click “Settings”.
(On Mobile Devices) At the top right of the video player, click “More” icon.
2. Click “Captions”/ “Subtitles”/ “CC”
3. Select Chinese or English subtitles

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The presenter reserves the right to change the programme.

Online Forum "In-Between Two Realms - The Making of Auguries of Innocence"

Wong Chi-yung and creative technologist Markus Lanxinger will share how they created the virtual art project "Auguries of Innocence", and how to bring this virtual audiovisual experience to audiences through a web-browser by integrating creative ideas with cross-platform coding technology.

Online Forum: Live-stream on 4 Mar (Fri) 8pm

(In English)

Recorded highlight version: Available from 18 Mar (Fri)

In English with Chinese and English subtitles

Select Subtitles Language:
1. (On Computer) At the bottom right of the video player, click “Settings”.
(On Mobile Devices) At the top right of the video player, click “More” icon.
2. Click “Captions”/ “Subtitles”/ “CC”
3. Select Chinese or English subtitles

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The presenter reserves the right to change the programme.