Synopsis: From the depths of the cave to the depths of our brains, Hyperphantasia creates a meeting place for 36,000 years of image technology, in search of the origin of images.
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This work was produced by Le Fresnoy. It was created as part of an off-site residency at the Observatoire de l’Espace, the cultural laboratory of the CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales) – With the support of the French Ministry of Culture for the free provision of data [stored at the Centre national de Préhistoire] used to create the work.

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OVNi exhibition
Title: Hyperphantasia, from the origins of images
unpublished version
Artist: Justine Emard
Location: Grotte du Lazaret, Nice
Curators : Nathalie Amae and Emmanuel Desclaux
with the support of : OVNi, Grotte du Lazaret, Département des Alpes-Maritimes

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Artist Justine Emard has worked with thousands of images: engravings and paintings from the Chauvet Pont d’Arc cave, discovered in 1994 in the Ardèche region of France. She trained an artificial intelligence to generate new, never-before-seen images of prehistory. The projection on the wall begins at the bottom of the cave, with bear scratches reimagined by the computer until the appearance of the first human features drawn with carbon. Thanks to video projection, the digital drawing interacts with the natural motifs and geology of the Lazaret cave. The work’s soundtrack was created from a recording of sounds emitted by neurons during brain surgery. This spatialized sound creation offers a mental journey designed to stimulate the imagination of those who contemplate it. Entitled « Hyperphantasia », this work experimentally materializes the connection of 38,000 years of image technologies from prehistory to the present day.