Mélodie Mousset's Organic Voyage project explores virtual organs, jungle healing, and VR experiments
Initiated in 2012, Mélodie Mousset's Organic Voyage project involved the virtual depiction of her internal organs, which were encased in resin. Her journey took her from Le Havre to Veracruz, where she encountered a caste system on board, before moving on to Mexico City, where the organs were transformed into wax candles. Mousset spent four months in the Sierra Madre with curanderos, whom she found to be corrupt. The project reached its peak with the burning of the candles in a cave, although the documentary film was unfortunately lost. Her work reflects Antonin Artaud's exploration of externalizing organs without a body. Recently, her VR installation, HanaHana, earned the title of 'Best Artistic VR Experience' at the Beijing VR Festival. Mousset, who resides in Zürich, has held solo exhibitions and is slated to join several group shows soon.
Key facts
- Mélodie Mousset began her Organic Voyage project in 2012
- She had her internal organs virtually rendered by a forensic imaging company and cast in resin
- Mousset traveled from Le Havre to Veracruz on a container ship, then to Mexico City
- In Mexico City, her organs were recast as wax candles following local customs
- She spent four months living in the Sierra Madre mountains with curanderos (local healers)
- The project culminated with burning the organ candles inside a cave
- The film documentation was lost when the hard drive disappeared
- Mousset won the 2015 Swiss Art Awards
- Her VR installation HanaHana won 'Best Artistic VR Experience' at the Beijing VR Festival and a Golden Halo award
- Mousset lives and works in Zürich
- Her work will be shown at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March 18-22, 2019
- Her work will appear in Effets Secondaires at CEAAC Strasbourg from March 15 to May 19, 2019
- Her work will be in Masks at Aargauer Kunsthaus opening in September 2019
- She has had solo exhibitions at Last Tango in Zürich and SALTS in Basel
- The project has been compared to Antonin Artaud's journey to Ireland
- Mousset's work is associated with artists like Carolee Schneemann, Werner Herzog, and Bas Jan Ader
Entities
Artists
- Mélodie Mousset
- Antonin Artaud
- Carolee Schneemann
- Werner Herzog
- Béla Tarr
- Paul Thek
- Bas Jan Ader
- Jay DeFeo
- Kathy Acker
- Chris Kraus
Institutions
- Swiss Art Awards
- Zabludowicz Collection
- Beijing VR Festival
- Golden Halo award
- Last Tango
- SALTS
- Game Developers Conference
- CEAAC Strasbourg
- Aargauer Kunsthaus
- ArtReview
- K11 Art Foundation
Locations
- Le Havre
- Veracruz
- Mexico City
- Sierra Madre mountains
- Zürich
- Switzerland
- London
- United Kingdom
- Beijing
- China
- Basel
- San Francisco
- United States
- Strasbourg
- France
- Los Angeles
- Baja
- Mexico
- Ireland