Retinal Rivalry: the best of 3D technology for Cyprien Gaillard's psychedelic journey

“The cinema of the future,” is how Sergei Eisenstein defined stereoscopy, envisioning it as the promise for the expansion of cinematic language, a technology that can provide depth to images, penetrating the viewer's space and revolutionizing his visual experience.

Today, that vision takes shape with Retinal Rivalry, the new work by French artist Cyprien Gaillard, on view at OGR Torino until February 2, 2025. A unique video work, produced in 3D and projected in dual 4k at 120 frames per second (fps). A rarely experienced technical level that goes far beyond the 24 fps standard projection of classic cinema, and even exceeds the traditional 60 fps limit of high-definition 3D. There are only two previous films shot in this definition by director and high rate frame pioneer Ang Lee: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016), the first shot in 120 fps, and Gemini Man (2019), made in 4k 3D 120 fps. Both very innovative technical experiments, but with a major limitation: almost no movie theaters in the world are equipped to project them in the native format, thus limiting the designed viewing experience.

Not at OGR, where some of the sharpest and smoothest 3D projection in the world is made possible thanks to advanced technology and the best equipment on the market. Viewing becomes a three-dimensional experience employing two projectors, Christie Digital's Mirage models, capable of producing crystal-clear images for each eye, and a large, high-contrast, specially polarized gray curtain measuring 11 by 6 meters. Thus viewers, equipped with goggles, find themselves immersed in a visual journey that goes far beyond simple stereoscopic depth, in a visual overstimulation that offers the eyes an exceptional amount of information. Unaware of the traditional moments of darkness and latency between images, the viewer's brain, faced with this technology, is convinced that it perceives objects with a tangible physical presence, not an optical illusion.

But what does Retinal Rivalry actually mean? The title refers to the optical phenomenon of retinal rivalry, which occurs when different images are presented to the two eyes. Usually, the brain combines the different visual information from each eye to create a cohesive, three-dimensional perception of the world around us. But when this does not happen, here comes the rivalry: the brain, unable to merge the images into a single perception, rapidly alternates them, creating a feeling of visual conflict resulting in ambiguous, psychedelic vision. Cyprien Gaillard works with this tension to lead the viewer on a journey that explores the perception of reality through scenarios charged with contradictions: from Oktoberfest to Roman ruins in a parking lot under Cologne Cathedral, from a Burger King in a former electrical substation site of Nazi rallies to the romantic landscape of Bastei. Each image seems to turn into sculpture, in a precarious balance between hyper-details and a sense of unreality, real and imaginary.

An unanswered ambiguity that, when the journey is over, leaves us bewildered and with a hanging question: how much do we really see of the reality around us?

Click here for the exhibition’s opening hours, admission is free.