QUANTUM LEAP
Immersive Settings: From the “Dream House” to the MSG Sphere
by Rebecca Pedrazzi
Quantum Leap è una nuova rubrica dove passato e futuro si incontrano in un viaggio tra arte, tecnologia e innovazione. Da ELIZA a ChatGPT, da Duchamp a Klingemann, da Klee a Nake; esploreremo insieme come le innovazioni di ieri stanno plasmando il domani. Un dialogo tra creatività umana e strumenti digitali, dalla realtà virtuale ai paesaggi sintetici, che ridefinisce i confini del possibile. Un appuntamento per chi vuole comprendere il futuro attraverso i processi che lo costruiscono.
From trompe-l’œil to architectural perspectives, from Wunderkammer to Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Rooms, the quest for immersive experiences in art has deep roots. The Dream House (1969) by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela is a pioneering example of how immersive spaces can meet modernity. Here, the environment transforms into a multisensory experience: persistent sound frequencies and colored lights are designed to create a unique psychophysical experience that deeply engages the audience. This work transcends the idea of a finished art object, making the audience an integral part of the experience itself. It aligns with the concept of “borderline art,” as Zazeela herself liked to define it.
MSG Sphere in Las Vegas
Today, thanks to new technologies, immersive art reaches unprecedented heights with the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. This technological structure, boasting 54,000 square meters of LED displays and an advanced audio system (Sphere Immersive Sound based on Holoplot’s X1 Matrix), redefines the concept of a performance space. It is not just a venue for events or concerts but an environment that dissolves the boundaries between real and virtual. In 2025, the MSG Sphere will host Afterlife Presents Anyma: The End of Genesys, an electronic show promising total immersion through groundbreaking visuals and sound
Beyond Visual Consumption
The connection between the Dream House and the MSG Sphere is evident in their shared ambition to push the limits of perception. While Young and Zazeela aimed for meditative immersion through sound and light, the MSG Sphere uses digital technology to envelop audiences in an amplified reality. Both share a fundamental principle: transforming the observer into an active participant.
These experiences echo the “consummatory experience” described by John Dewey in Art as Experience (1934): art is not just something to “look at” but something to be lived. This journey spans from the intimate spaces of the Dream House to the technological grandeur of the MSG Sphere, marking an evolution that redefines the relationship between art, space, and audience. The next step? The DATALAND museum by Refik Anadol.
