Ryan Koopmans & Alice Wexell

Sweden

Ryan Koopmans (BA, MFA) is a lens-based artist specializing in reviving abandoned architecture through digital techniques. Partnering with his wife, Swedish artist Alice Wexell, they create captivating digital artworks. Their celebrated project, "The Wild Within," debuted in 2021 and has been collected and exhibited worldwide. The Wild Within is a series of digital artworks that bring new life into abandoned buildings from a bygone era. ​ Based on real-world physical spaces, an animated rebirth into a digital realm is created. ​ Ryan Koopmans & his partner Alice Wexell visited different locations around the world over several years, exploring ruins and photographing structures that have undergone dramatic transition. ​ Upon returning, they digitally introduced vegetation, modified the structure and lighting, and animated the scenes with the intention of reviving the empty spaces, essentially bringing life back into the rooms. ​​ The results are a surreal collision between the past and future, natural and manmade, physical and digital, and the real and imaginary.​ The aim of the artwork is to create a sense of surreal tranquility whilst referencing the themes of architectural history, urban exploration, and the resurgence of nature. ​ Many of the buildings depicted in The Wild Within have been demolished in recent years, further emphasizing the theme of time passing in the cycle of growth and decay.

Koopmans, of Canadian-Dutch heritage, explores the built environment's impact on societies. Wexell, with a particular interest in 3D art and photography, co-creates surreal environments using new technologies. 


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Insight

Insight_Ryan_Koopmans__Alice_Wexell_3D.mp4

‘Insight’ is the first piece from the series ‘Everlasting’, a collection of digital artworks that bring new life into abandoned or historic buildings by combining photography with animation to create surreal, meditative, moving architectural spaces.

Over a period of several years, artists Ryan Koopmans and Alice Wexell travelled around the world exploring and photographing forsaken buildings and unique architectural sites. They were drawn to these locations based on the particular historical, cultural and architectural qualities of the place. From ancient temples in the mountains of Armenia, to elaborate abandoned theatres in the Middle East, the artists trekked to remote corners of the planet under strenuous conditions in order to find remarkable and unseen locations where their creativity could be applied. Once the architecture has been photographed, the images are then modelled into virtual environments and overgrown plant-life is introduced digitally. The lighting and structure is modified, a custom musical composition is added, and the photograph is transformed into a moving image that loops seamlessly. The piece ‘Insight’ features an original score by composer Karl-David Larson.

The artists' intentions are to revive these often-vacant spaces, essentially bringing life back into the buildings. They aim to transport the viewer into an alternate place and time, creating a surreal collision between the past and future as well as the merging of physical and digital worlds. Conceptually, the theme of preservation is compounded by the fact that some of the buildings depicted in the artworks have been demolished or continue to deteriorate, further emphasizing the theme of time passing in the cycle of growth and decay. The fusing of documentary-style photography with the imaginative potential of animation techniques results in a body of work that is captivating and meditative.

technique

3d

format

portrait

duration

00:20

year

2023

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