Grimes is turning her luscious pop music into an interactive installation

Experimental pop musician Claire “Grimes” Boucher is a one-lady machine. Not only does the pop songstress compose and write all her own music, she also directs her own music videos and has a steady hand in producing. The fully-realized vision of Grimes is wholly Boucher’s own. Grimes is Grimes, because of Grimes. It only makes sense that the next logical step for her is a step beyond the musical sphere—an interactive art installation.

Perhaps Grimes is diving back into her experimental roots

Grimes will be headlining the North Carolina music, art, and technology festival Moogfest, which will be held May 19-22. There, Grimes, a proprietor for all things innovative and strange in her music and visual aesthetic, will have her interactive installation “REALiTi: Inside the Music of Grimes” on display for all the lucky festival attendees. The Microsoft Kinect-powered installation will allow visitors to “manipulate the music as they physically interact with the environment,” according to a press release.

Grimes has been involved with the experimental electronic scene since 2009. While a cult-favorite in the scene, she later rose to prominence with her 2012 album Visions, a record that was met with widespread critical acclaim for its unique blend of experimental sounds and pop. After a few throwaway singles (including one originally written for the illustrious Rihanna) and an alleged entire scrapped album, Grimes finally released her Visions follow-up in late 2015, entitled Art Angels. Art Angels is a polarizing record for longterm fans, as Grimes fully embraced her pop-sensibilities and nearly left her experimental past behind. Yet, with this new interactive experiment, perhaps Grimes is diving back into her experimental roots.

Tangible details for the interactive journey through Grimes’ single “REALiTi” remain scarce. As shown in a brief video preview for the installation, visitors gently touch mesh-like walls, inhibiting neon colors and sounds in the enclosed environment. But knowing Grimes, it’ll be something wonderfully weird.

Via Pitchfork