Four artists create immersive digital projects with Apple devices at ‘India Art Fair 2024’

Four multidisciplinary artists have created immersive digital projects with iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, and conducted ‘Today at Apple’ sessions at the ‘India Art Fair 2024.’

Artists Ameya Shinde, Aaron “Myles” Pereira, Sadhna Prasad, and Dhruv Jani will showcase artworks created on iPad Pro and MacBook Pro at the event from February 1-4.

The theme for this year is “Forces of Nature,” and Pereira and Shinde’s response is titled ‘Ornithoscope’.

Built entirely on MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, the immersive audiovisual experience lets the audience explore changes in India’s avian biodiversity over the last 15 years, Apple said in a statement.

Pereira is a product engineer at Animal Factory, while Shinde works as a designer at Studio BigFat one floor above. They are both digital artists in residence at the India Art Fair 2024, along with Jani and Prasad.

“I love sketching at exhibitions, studios — even the zoo!” said Shinde, who considers Apple Pencil and iPad Pro to be essential travelling companions. “My favourite part of the day is the morning commute on the local train. That’s when I’m most inspired to draw.”

Mumbai is both the muse and the canvas. “Growing up, I always loved hearing birdsong. But with the decline in the bird population, you hear it less and less,” said Pereira.

Shinde added: “We want to draw attention to the fact that our natural world is getting quieter all the time.”

Their installation is deceptively simple to look at — an iPad Pro and projection screen surrounded by six speakers. Once the viewer chooses a state or union territory to explore, the speakers produce surround sound of corresponding bird sounds from that region.

The entire software for the installation is built in Max MSP, a programming language that enables him to enhance the sound and generate visuals based on the audience’s interactions, according to Apple.

Writer and artist Jani’s video game installation takes them miles below Earth’s crust.

Titled ‘It Takes A Long Time To Grow A Mountain,’ the game sends players on a subterranean quest to discover the seed that spawned the Western Ghats mountain range. Players must descend through a substratum embedded with poetry, fables, and musings on language and landscape, designed and programmed on MacBook Pro with M3 Max.

“The project takes its name from a local myth about a man who seeks water for the parched land,” explained Jani. “His search awakens the gods sleeping deep below the earth. As they hunch awake, the Western Ghats spring up into existence, and the man is cursed to become a tiny seed for his transgressions.”

Jani is the founder of Studio Oleomingus, the award-winning game and arts practice studio that he runs with creative coder Sushant Chakraborty.

Prasad aims to anchor audiences firmly in the present. “My project is called ‘I’ll Be Back,” said says Prasad, a muralist and illustrator. “I want my audience to visit the world I create, and then come back and make a difference.”

Prasad is using Procreate and Procreate Dreams on iPad Pro to create a large-scale mural. It shows two worlds: One is the result of unsustainable living, and the other is the outcome if humanity reforms its ways. The artist is working with the Artivive app to turn the mural into an interactive augmented reality (AR) experience for the audience.

“Procreate on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil changed my life. The smoothness and the functionality make it perfect for an artist,” said Prasad.

‘Today at Apple’ is a unique global programme offering free sessions that assist customers in unleashing their creativity and making the most of their devices.

Hosted at Apple Store locations all over the world, including Apple BKC and Apple Saket, the educational and inspirational sessions range from basics and how-to lessons, to using professional-grade programmes.