Augmented Catastrophe

Danish-artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen creates a sonic and immersive environment with The Deep Listener, the Serpentine Galleries’, London, first Augmented Architecture commission. In it, Steensen addresses the threat of species extinction, social preservation and the stark reality of deforestation. Set in Virtual and Augmented Reality with an accompanying score, the show begins at Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park – the green patches of land which surround the Serpentine Galleries. Over time, as viewers stroll through these settings, they change. The air pollutes, insects and birds decline in population and trees die.

Image credit: Jakob Kudsk Steensen

Steensen’s previous work has sought to morph and contort or everyday landscapes. In 2017 he transformed Times Square into a towering, frozen woodland, beaming images from advertisement boards found in the famous New York destination. In Primal Tourism (2016) he recreated the tropical island of Borabora in VR, while a virtual organism was tasked to breach virtual glass cabinets in PANDO ENDO.

The Deep Listener opens 12 July. Find out more here.

Image credit: Jakob Kudsk Steensen, renders from The Deep Listener.