Towering/The Herbarium
Dazibao, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 2021
The virtual reality project Towering/The Herbarium (2021) is based on two major herbarium collections: the Marie-Victorin Herbarium of the Université de Montréal and the Harvard University Herbaria. The work also focuses on the ecosystems explored by two key figures in botany, ecology and literature, Henry David Thoreau, in the case of the Harvard University Herbaria, and Frère Marie-Victorin (born Conrad Kirouac).
Towering/The Herbarium is based on 360 degrees cinematographic images as well as computer-generated images proposing an immersive experience that takes place virtually either in the field or in the laboratory, at the heart of discussions on various issues that currently drive botanical research, notably through an interview with the evolutionary biologist, herbarium director and professor at Harvard University Charles C. Davis. Since herbaria are long-term databases, they can be used for research related to the phenological responses of species (the timing of temperature sensitivity), revealing the gap that gradually appears between the stages of development of different species that make up an ecosystem and cause all kinds of detrimental effects.
Work
Produced and directed by: Geneviève Chevalier
Researchers interviewed: Charles C. Davis
Camera: Geneviève Chevalier
3D Modelling: Charles-Étienne Brochu
Sound Recording: Geneviève Chevalier, Gaëlle Komar, Bruno Pucella
Computer programming: Renaud Gervais
Interaction Design: Renaud Gervais
Video Editing: Geneviève Chevalier, Alexis Landriault
Sound Editing: Bruno Pucella
Audio mastering: Bruno Pucella
Translation of subtitles: Tania Grant
Special Thanks
Geoffrey Hall, coordonnateur de la collection, Herbier Marie-Victorin, Université de Montréal
Charles C. Davis, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Curator of Vascular Plants in the Harvard University Herbaria
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Herbier Marie-Victorin, Université de Montréal
Harvard University Herbaria
Walden Pond State Reservation
Sporobole
PRIM