French for “the deserter,” the app is so named because it will only be available for purchase for 365 days ($10 from iTunes). After the course of a year, this “ticket for a unique, immersive and sensory experience” will disappear, making your iPad “into an ephemeral work of art itself.” At least, when you’re running the app. Consisting of two “rooms,” mysteriously titled “Anonymous Bodies” and “Labyrinths,” this virtual museum houses 24 works of art. The app explains that it is meant to question “the role of the anonymous bodies in the cathartic act of desertion leading to the endless and protean quest for identity amid the labyrinth of life.” Deep.
Each of the rooms contains 12 pieces of art, and each of those is comprised of a short film, a piece of literature, and a photograph. In addition, “an original sound installation designed by the New York-based artist Cocoon Effect offers the musical interpretation of the works of art” throughout the exhibition. 28 different artists from around the world are represented in le déserteur, including Copenhagen-based artist and film-maker NADERI, photographer Edouard Mortec, writer Marion Clement, and musician Benjamin Paulin, who plays an active role in the recognition French designer Pierre Paulin’s artwork.
The digital experience afforded by le déserteur, explains founder Sylvain Souklaye, is one “which lies in the journey, not the destination.” Meant for individuals “with high interest in art and culture but little time,” the new app allows you to avoid long queues while asking all the important questions about life, love, and high culture.
So get comfortable, and as le déserteur suggests, “follow your emotions and enjoy the journey.”
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