TomarkthereopeningofculturalvenuesacrossFranceon15thDecember2020,TheMuséed'OrsayinParisreleasesthishypnoticvideopieceannouncingtheirlatestexhibition,TheOriginsoftheWorld:TheInventionofNatureinthe19thCentury.FrenchartistLaurentGrassohascreatedanewfilmfortheexhibitionwhichwillbescreenedasaninstallationinthenaveofthemuseum. Artificialisisanexplorationofnaturetoldthroughhumanperception,invitingtheaudiencetoinhabittheliminalspacebetweenthematerialandphenomenologicalworld.“Theideaofartificialityhasbeeninmyworkforaverylongtime,”saystheartist,whousesanachronismandhybriditytoshiftourstatesofconsciousness.“I’vealwaystriedtogiveavirtualformtotheworldthroughaerialviewsandcolorchanges.” Thefilmshowsanambiguous,spectralterritoryinfullmutationwhererealityandvirtualitycrossoverandlandmarksdissolveintoanimaginedspace;geysersspewflamesacrossanArcticlandscape,theacidpoolsoftheDanakilDepressionevokeaMartianlandscape,andadenselywoodedforestisrenderedalmostinvisiblethankstoLIDARandmicroscopicscanners. “Todaytheworldis‘derealizing’itself.Ihavetriedtocapturemomentswhenwenolongerknowwherewestand,betweentheartificialandthenatural,”saysGrasso."Artificialisisthenameofthishybrid,post-Anthropoceneterritoryinwhichreferencepointshavetotallydissolved.”