Photography: Lucion’s MoonGARDEN, South Street Seaport 1/4/25

Photography: Lucion’s MoonGARDEN, South Street Seaport 1/4/25

Founded back in 2000 by Bernard Duguay, Montréal-based collective Lucion features a team of plastic artists musicians, videographers, scriptwriters and interactive-media specialists that designs immersive experiences for the entertainment industry, culture and public institutions.

Over the course of their two-and-a-half decade existence, Lucion has contributed to over 400 productions in Canada and elsewhere, including light installations, architectural projections, mobile apps, stage productions, immersive environments for museums and visual designs for television.

They strive to create remarkable content within today’s dynamic media landscape. Through their various projects, they aim to foster meaningful discussions about lifestyle and contribute to building a brighter, more connected and sustainable world.

South Street Seaport welcomes MoonGARDEN, an immersive art installation that turns its surroundings into a luminous dreamscape. Since its debut in Montréal, this installation has illuminated cities across the glove, casting intricate shadows across giant, self-inflated spheres racing from six to 30 feet in diameter. Inspired by set theory, MoonGARDEN’s hypnotic animations invite reflection on belonging and inclusivity, informed by a blend of art, mathematics and memory.

MoonGARDEN tells the tale of the Abyss Walkers, beings who emerged from the shadows of an imagined ocean world. There are 14 luminous spheres: each sphere pulses with life, inviting viewers to move through the undulating paths between them.

At the heart of this constellation of spheres is the largest one, a 20-foot vessel with portholes that reveals a world beyond the ordinary — one in which viewers can catch Abyss Walkers in their element. Here, Abyss Walkers — beings that are part organic, part mechanical — have evolved from the remnants of a past civilization. Wheels, gears and metallic fragments have become extensions of their bodies. Shadows cast by the creates dance across the walls, creating aquatic life-like scenes.

EXPosure is an interactive cluster of three spheres where viewers can move a light source — a lighter, flashlight or phone — across these orbs creates streams of light. When the light is turned towards the viewer’s face, it generates a selfie.

The installation aims to create an otherworldly symbiosis where life, technology and life intertwine. The exhibit is up until February so check it out before it goes on to its next destination.