by Simon Speiser

“In a Young World of Resplendent Glitter“ is a virtual reality narration that embodies a desire for origin in a world that keeps alienating us from nature as the primal place of spiritual balance. It is not meant as a critique of modern life but rather it is a fictional approach to the contemporary state of mind. The concept of wildlife, rainforests, palm trees, and lonesome beaches all trigger an association to inner peace and relaxation: a place to recover from hectic modern lifestyles. These conceptions are not really ap- plicable and rather work as a mental experiment, which is where I see the new abode for wild nature. A virtual place hovering next to our modern lives.

This virtual reality piece extends from the 5th chapter of an on-going story which I started in 2013 with “Falling for the Matuhi“. In this story an artificial bird species with telepathic capabilities gets exploited by mankind as a communication device akin to the Internet. The birds are born into a world dominated by technology and have never experienced life in the wild. In search of refuge, the Matuhi create an imaginary forest based on information it gathers about the natural habitats of birds. The Matuhi, as pure children of technology, start to fantasize about a hypothetical paradise situated in the past which leads them to create a new version of nature as a parallel dimension.

Artist Bio

Simon Speiser born 1988, studied Fine Arts in ABK Stuttgart and Städelschule Frankfurt, with Christian Jankowski, Alexander Roob, Willem de Rooij, Michael Krebber and Mark von Schlegell. In his practice he develops fictional concepts and ideas that merge nature and technology. This often brings various disciplines into dialogue, ranging from writing, sculpture and installation to printing, video and VR. He took part in several group and solo shows in institutions, galleries and project spaces including the Frankfurter Kunstverein, MMK Frankfurt, CAC Quito, Oracle Berlin, Croy Nielsen, MMCA Seoul and Robert Grunenberg.