Reimagining the Visible: HYPERViz as Artistic Praxis and EU-Funded Innovation
Frederik De Wilde’s HYPERViz, a collaborative initiative with ScanWorld under the auspices of MediaFutures, Europe’s virtual data-driven innovation hub, represents a significant intersection of contemporary art and technological innovation. Funded to bridge the gap between complex hyperspectral satellite data and public accessibility, HYPERViz seeks to revolutionize the visualization of four-dimensional geospatial data—encompassing latitude, longitude, time, and spectrum—through a partnership that leverages ScanWorld’s expertise in hyperspectral imaging and De Wilde’s artistic vision. Focusing on case studies of agricultural soil quality and marine pollution, the project aims to deliver both a Google Earth-style digital experience for experts and an immersive virtual reality (VR) visualization for the general public, aligning with the European Green Deal’s environmental management goals. This essay critically examines the distinction between De Wilde’s artistic process and output and the innovation-driven objectives of the EU-funded HYPERViz project, situating the work within broader discourses on data aesthetics, ecological awareness, and speculative futures in a post-natural paradigm.
Artistic Process and Output: Crafting Sensory and Speculative Narratives
De Wilde’s artistic process in HYPERViz is rooted in the transformative potential of hyperspectral imaging, a technology that captures data across hundreds of spectral bands to reveal the invisible chemical signatures of Earth’s surfaces. Rather than merely replicating scientific data, De Wilde engages with this material as a medium for aesthetic exploration, reinterpreting the raw complexity of four-dimensional datasets into immersive, sensory experiences. His collaboration with ScanWorld, which provides the hyperspectral backbone—derived from satellite constellations and airborne campaigns—enables the artist to distill this data into a VR visualization tool, made in Unreal Engine, designed for immersive public engagement. This process reflects a post-natural ontology, where the boundary between human perception and technological mediation dissolves, inviting viewers to navigate a virtual landscape that transcends traditional visual representation.
The artistic output of HYPERViz is characterized by its immersive nature, offering a departure from the utilitarian interfaces typically associated with geospatial data. De Wilde’s VR visualization employs dynamic, multi-layered imaging with fluid transitions. This output challenges the viewer to confront the ecological narratives embedded in the data, such as soil degradation or plastic vortices, while aestheticizing their complexity. The work aligns with the speculative turn in contemporary art, where artists like Ryoji Ikeda have similarly transformed scientific data into hypnotic audiovisual installations, yet De Wilde’s focus on hyperspectral imaging introduces a unique ecological dimension, rendering the invisible visible in a manner that invites emotional resonance rather than detached analysis.
The process and output together underscore a radical reimagining of public engagement with environmental data, positioning art as a mediator between scientific abstraction and lived experience.
EU-Funded Innovation: Technological Accessibility and Practical Applications
In contrast, the EU-funded HYPERViz project, supported by MediaFutures and aligned with the European Green Deal, prioritizes innovation-driven objectives aimed at enhancing the accessibility and utility of hyperspectral data. ScanWorld’s technological expertise—bolstered by its constellation of small satellites and plans for frequent global imaging—forms the project’s foundation, addressing the inadequacy of existing visualization tools to handle the multidimensionality of hyperspectral imagery. The initiative’s dual-track approach—a Web interface for experts and a VR tool for the public—reflects a pragmatic goal: to democratize data that underpins sustainable agriculture and environmental monitoring, such as assessing soil quality or tracking marine pollution.
The innovation lies in the development of a scalable, intuitive platform that integrates ScanWorld’s hyperspectral data with user-friendly interfaces. The Web tool targets experts, offering precise analytical capabilities to inform policy and practice, while the VR component seeks to educate and engage broader audiences, potentially influencing public perception of climate issues. This aligns with the European Green Deal’s emphasis on data-driven environmental management, leveraging technologies like the forthcoming Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission (CHIME) to enhance global monitoring. The project’s focus on case studies—agricultural soil quality and marine pollution—demonstrates a commitment to addressing pressing ecological challenges, with applications ranging from optimizing resource use to mitigating pollution’s impact.
A Speculative Ecology of the Visible
Frederik De Wilde’s HYPERViz, in collaboration with ScanWorld, stands as an interesting synthesis of art and technology. By distinguishing the artistic process—focused on sensory transformation and ecological narrative—from the EU-funded project’s innovation goals—centered on data accessibility and practical application—this analysis reveals the project’s dual nature.
HYPERViz offers a timely intervention in the discourse on climate change, leveraging hyperspectral imaging to render the invisible visible. Yet, it also prompts critical reflection on the aestheticization of crisis and the technological optimism underpinning such initiatives, urging a reevaluation of how we perceive and interact with our planet’s fragile ecosystems.
