Lilian Hess pays tribute to Marcel Duchamp and modern art.
Crédits photos : Lilian Hess
Blending philosophy with social critique, Lilian Hess’s latest artwork challenges audiences to reflect on the concept of freedom of movement. Through interaction and immersion, the artist-filmmaker encourages participants to break away from societal norms and conventions. To bring this project to life, Hess integrates XR technology, motion capture, and body tracking, creating an installation that guides spectators on a journey toward personal liberation. “Duchampiana” is part of the official selection at the immersive art festival Recto VRso, running from April 10 to 13, 2025.
Tribute to Marcel Duchamp and modern art
Lilian Hess is an artist and filmmaker, a graduate of the prestigious Goldsmiths College in the UK. Her work explores body politics and personal narratives through film, photography, and immersive experiences. In recent years, she has focused on XR, creating projects that have garnered recognition at esteemed festivals, including the Venice Biennale.
Lilian Hess’s latest project, Duchampiana, is an immersive installation blending movement with social reflection. Participants go on a stair climber, wearing a virtual reality headset that transports them into a digital world. As they ascend virtually, they accompany a character inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s painting Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2.
In Lilian Hess’s work, the figure steps out of the canvas to ascend the staircase. The artist explains that her “immersive installation invites the public to engage in a physical transgression of social constructs”. Through this experience, she seeks to explore the true meaning of freedom of movement. This virtual environment has been conceived as a space for introspection, reflection and liberation.
Movement as bodies liberation
To bring her work to life, Lilian Hess used two key technologies: motion capture and body tracking. First, the virtual character’s ascent was recorded through motion capture in collaboration with dancers. Then, body tracking captures the participant’s movements during the experience, ensuring full immersion and a heightened sense of presence.
The creation of the virtual character was a crucial phase of the project. Lilian Hess worked alongside the Femme Fatale studio team to reinterpret Duchamp’s iconic figure. The goal was to break with the original work, much like the painter did in his time by representing a body in motion in a fresh, innovative way. Unlike Duchamp, Lilian Hess has her figure climb. It’s a way of challenging the traditional motif and, most importantly, freeing herself from the centuries-old constraints imposed on the female body.
This new project thoughtfully delves into the question of body politics. By choosing to advance and ascend, the participant makes a conscious decision to break free from convention. “It’s an exercise in resilience and a confrontation with truths hidden within our physical bodies.” There is no definitive end point; rather, it is an ongoing journey towards an authentic, liberated self.
