SXSW XR: Baroque VR in “The Light in the Shadow”

When Gaëlle Mourre was a student, a professor asked her class to “think of a piece of technology that would help people to better appreciate and understand art.”

She recalls thinking, “I would love to have a tool that allows me to physically travel through the layers of a painting because you can always see, especially in an oil painting, how an artist has changed their mind.”

Alongside her professional collaborator and life partner, Quentin Darras, Mourre now uses VR technology to transport viewers directly into the lives and surroundings of historical artists. The second installment in Mourre’s and Darras’ immersive series, (Hi)Story of a Painting, “The Light in the Shadow" (part of this year's South by Southwest XR experience) delves into the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a 17th century female painter.

While under lockdown during the pandemic, the couple drew from their respective skill sets to produce the ambitious project. Darras explains, “We were really coming together from two different angles: Gaëlle, more writing, producing, and proper directing, and I'm an animator, so visually I know how to put things together to make a story float.” Darras renders the immersive landscapes using 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) animation, which allows people to freely interact with elements embedded in the 10-15 minute narrative-based program.

After putting on the VR headset, narration by Welsh musician and DJ Cerys Mattews cues the viewer towards a young Gentileschi, whose career began as an artist’s assistant to her father. Bringing us through her story - including the tragic death of her mother, her survival of an assault perpetuated by one of her father’s colleagues, the court case that followed, and her eventual recognition across Europe - the series recognizes Gentileschi’s impressive talent as a painter while underscoring the humanity behind her success.

Mourre says, “there is a tendency to focus on her story as a person and what she survived rather than her work…it felt important to show that she’s not only an extraordinary woman, but also an extraordinary artist.”

The creators of “The Light in the Shadow” aim to make nuanced histories accessible to wide audiences that include individuals in their teens as well as adults of all ages. The son of a high school art history teacher, Darras aimed to replicate his mother’s ability to find “ways to make stories that are sometimes hard to understand super easy to get” and apply that treatment to Gentileschi’s complicated biography. Mourre also aims to make art history more inclusive, observing that “people feel like, ‘Oh, I didn’t study art history, I don’t come from that background, so it’s not for me. And of course it is.”

“The Light in the Shadow" provides an unparalleled interaction with visual art that makes it seem playful and relatable instead of remote and highbrow. Complete with beautifully-crafted, painterly renderings of Italian cities, moments of fantasy and whimsy, and a thoughtful retelling of Gentileschi’s dynamic life story, the program is as entertaining as it is educational. Mourre says, “We came together, and we decided to uncover the stories behind artists, and understand not only for ourselves, but for our audiences, why on earth are paintings in museums. Why do they matter? And why does this one stand the test of time and not another one?”

---

The Light in the Shadow

XR Experience
Through Tuesday, March 15, 11am-6pm, Convention Center Congressional Ballroom