LOUISVILLE, KY.- This fall, a construction scaffold in downtown Louisville will be transformed into an interactive contemporary art installation, surprising passersby with an extraordinary new landscape. Installed in a 45-foot long corridor, Dune 4.0 will envelop viewers in an environment of shifting light which responds to human movement. The installation marks the U.S. debut of the work of Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde, who first conceived of the piece in 2007. Open in Louisville from September 22 to October 20, 2009, Dune 4.0 will be presented by artwithoutwalls, a new non-profit, non-collecting art organization.

Located on Louisville’s Main Street, the Dune 4.0 environment will be lit by a waist high forest of hundreds of LED lights which respond to the movement and sound of visitors as they walk by. Inspired by the novels of J.G. Ballard and the films of David Lynch, Roosegaarde’s work encourages playful interactions with its audience, engaging each viewer in a distinct “conversation”. Through this piece, Roosegaarde tests spatial perceptions and the dynamic relationships between architecture, people and technology, exploring the theory that nature and technology are evolving in tandem toward an eventual merger. Dune 4.0 has been exhibited in Asia and in Europe, and a permanent version of the work will be installed in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, next year.

“Dune 4.0 is an otherworldly environment which draws viewers in almost effortlessly, creating a magical space embedded within the city,” said Alice Gray Stites, Director of artwithoutwalls. “Using emerging technologies, Daan’s work creates opportunities for a seamless transition between everyday experiences and contemporary art—exactly the kind of experiences cultivated by artwithoutwalls.”

The accessible, interactive format of Dune 4.0 exemplifies the mission of artwithoutwalls—to integrate art into the fabric of the everyday. Working outside traditional structures of museums, artwithoutwalls connects contemporary artworks with new audiences, producing unexpected and exciting results. Its eclectic, collaborative approach draws from multiple disciplines.

In conjunction with the installation of Dune 4.0, Roosegaarde will discuss his work at Louisville’s 2009 Idea Festival, an annual series of presentations and discussions by diverse thinkers from around the world. The festival celebrates innovation, imagination, and cutting-edge ideas in science, the arts, design, film, and many other disciplines. In a presentation titled “Progressive Realities,” at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts on September 25, Roosegaarde will explore interactive art and its environments, examining the potential for technology to enhance human understanding of ourselves and the world at large.

Roosegaarde will also discuss his practice at the University of Kentucky on September 23, as part of a year-long lecture series at the College of Design, organized by Dean Michael Speaks. Students from the College of Design will assist in the installation of Dune 4.0, along with students from the University of Louisville.

Daan Roosegaarde
Daan Roosegaarde is an artist working in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, whose work was featured in the 2007 Venice Biennale. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts AKI in Enschede, the Netherlands and received a Master of Arts Degree at the Berlage Institute, a Postgraduate Laboratory of Architecture in Rotterdam. Roosegaarde's interactive projects have been exhibited at the Netherlands Media Art Institute Montevideo, in Amsterdam, the Tate Modern in London, The Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM) in Yamaguchi, Japan, the National Art Center in Tokyo and the 2009 Venice Biennale. Currently he is the creative director of Studio Roosegaarde, an independent artistic laboratory in which his interactive artworks are created.