The first Into Thin Air exhibition took place in April 2016 and featured physical artworks displayed around the capital. The second installment is a permanent display of 10 digital artworks, which can be viewed via a smartphone app.
Into Thin Air is a long-term public art project curated by Manzi Art Space that aims to build awareness and appreciation of art among the public. The exhibition takes art and creativity outside of its conventional comfort zones, such as museums and galleries, and brings them into public spaces.
For the project, all participating artists are asked to consider their everyday urban spaces or places in Hanoi that are significant to them and their community and create artistic interventions for the spaces. The artists were also asked to be socially engaged and to make works which encourage the public to participate or interact with it.
A smartphone app was created for the last event, which functioned as a ‘treasure map.’ This time, a series of 10 virtual artworks, including installations, performances, and videos, will be accessible via a new app.
Artwork will be accessible in 10 different locations, such as Lenin Park, the Botanical Gardens, Hom Fabric Market, Ba Dinh Square and the Old Quarter. Creations by both Vietnamese and foreign artists will be on display — all information about the locations and artists involved can be accessed on the app.
Into Thin Air 2 is also a permanent exhibition. Visitors can view or interact with a given artwork at any time via the app using augmented reality technology which can be downloaded to a phone or tablet. All of the artworks exist virtually, yet are only accessible at set locations. The artworks will be accessible from Sunday, October 7. A launch show will take place at Manzi Art Space at 3:30pm the same day.
[Illustration: 'The Wanderers' by Vu Ngoc Khai. Image courtesy of Manzi Art Space]
