Inspire Resort Media Art "Astral Forest"

Overview

Aurora Street at Inspire Entertainment Resort is a 150-meter passage wrapped in LED across the ceiling and both walls. To make it a place people want to walk through and linger in all day, Apollon Immersive Works created Astral Forest, an unfamiliar yet vivid forest of life.

The forest moves between day and night every 30 seconds. A green forest swaying in the breeze gradually turns into a blue forest alive with unusual patterns of light, so visitors feel as if they are walking through the heart of a mysterious wood.

Typologies: Media Contents
Media Architecture
Location: Incheon, Korea
Client: HYUNDAI FUTURENET

Concept

Surreal Forest of Life

Past a seabed full of life and through a cave filled with golden jewels, visitors finally arrive at the forest of life. Trees and plants resemble those of a real forest yet differ in subtle ways, and creatures of unfamiliar forms live and breathe among them. Familiar and strange at once, the forest becomes the final scene of a journey that unfolds across Inspire Resort.

Rendering of Aurora Street seen from an upper level, with a sunlit forest across the LED ceiling, a waterfall on the right wall, and palm trees and a plaza at the end of the passage — 1. 컨셉 투시도. 오로라 스트리트의 낮과 밤을 표현한 장면

Night rendering of Aurora Street seen from an upper level, with a star-flecked blue forest across the LED ceiling and glowing particles drifting around the waterfall on the right wall

Rendering of Aurora Street, with tall straight trees and broad-leaf plants across the LED walls, golden rocks floating in shafts of sunlight, and people walking along the passage below

Night rendering of Aurora Street, with a skybridge crossing beneath a star-flecked blue forest ceiling, glowing flowers and butterflies on the LED walls, and people walking along the passage

Pre-Production

During the Pre-production stage, Apollon focused on creating a distinct visual identity for Astral Forest while ensuring its harmony with the overall space, considering that it would be a media art content continuously played for the whole day at Aurora Street. Under the concept of “the joy of discovery,” the 150-mteter space was divided into three zones, each featuring different vegetation and objects to establish unique visual characteristics. At the same time, Apollon concentrated on conducting detailed and comprehensive planning so that the three zones would seamlessly flow into one another and feel like one continuous forest, with no sense of visual dissonance.

Production

During the Production stage, Apollon aimed to create “a mystical and immersive forest unique to Aurora Street,” distinguishing it from the numerous nature-themed contents—especially those centered on forests—that already exist. By incorporating elements such as misty fog, rays of sunlight, rustling leaves, and birds flying through the sky, a sense of spatial depth was crafted throughout the entire environment. In addition, Apollon collaborated with various artists and used VR simulation and real-time rendering technology to carry out a delicate and multi-layered production process. As a result, visitors can fully experience the rich and distinctive atmosphere that only Astral Forest can offer.