Lumens: A Show to Hear with Your Eyes Open

Two thirty-somethings had the slightly crazy idea of developing a new art form: performative musical video games. Julien-Robert is a trained musician. His path led him to video music, but he wanted to go further by adding performance. He joined forces with Julien Compagne, a high-level perfectionist, to create Video Phase.Lumens

is the group’s second original work and explores the relationship between virtual and real by creating a multi-screen 3D environment projected in front of

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and around the audience. Julien-Robert explains that their approach is based on an image in symbiosis with music. Both are conceived in the same gesture, and the artists want to move beyond the boundaries of the stage through immersion. Lumens has electroacoustic, pop and experimental influences. A series of contrasting tableaux presents original compositions by the two artists. To achieve their goals, the partners spent two years testing and retesting different techniques. They invented physical and virtual instruments that allow interaction between video and music. LED lights are central to the performance, hence the title Lumens, a unit for measuring luminous flux. The technology has always interested them, but they had to find the right tools. Their goal is to offer spectators a unique experience and show them something they have never seen before: performative musical video games. The duo Video Phase wants its art to reach as many people as possible. Fans of technological performance will find what they are looking for, and others may discover a new way of listening with their eyes open.