'Piying Dream' immersive show to unleash 3,000 digital shadow puppets at REXKL

A scene from the 'Piying Dream' show presented in Shanghai last year. The same show, an original immersive experience by Danny Rose Studio, drawing inspiration from the art of Chinese shadow play, is set to open at REXKL on Feb 9. Photo: REXKL

Arts and culture hub REXKL in the heart of Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur is ready to turn heads once again with two new digital art exhibitions, which are set to open at its purpose-built immersive arts space RXP.KL (REXPERIENCE) on Feb 9.

Piying Dream and Matter Of Painting, the latest creations of award-winning Paris-based Danny Rose Studio, in collaboration with Temple of Light, will be making their debuts in Kuala Lumpur.

“We have set out to design something that has never been built before – a vast installation in a heritage landmark to house the burgeoning demand for experiential attractions,” says Sebastien Jurkowski, co-founder of RXP.KL.

“Both of these creations (coming to KL) promise to transport visitors to a realm where technology and art coalesce into an otherworldly experience, leaving them awe-struck,” he adds.

Before coming to KL, these exhibitions were presented in Shanghai last year.

Temple of Light, an immersive digital art exhibition pioneer in China, collaborated with Danny Rose for these shows, whic integrate high-tech projection technology to recreate living paintings on a gigantic scale.

To coincide with the Chinese New Year season, Piying Dream is set to welcome the masses to a fantastical kingdom, with 3,000 masterfully crafted shadow puppets from the Qing Dynasty – a cherished art form under the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2011.

Within this realm, you will be greeted by iconic and familiar characters from classic Chinese literature – including the beloved Sun Wukong (or Monkey King), the wise Zhuge Liang, and the heroic Wu Song – as well as mythical creatures, including dragons.

If you want a time travel experience to the Big Apple, Matter Of Painting is set to transform the walls of RXP.KL into "action paintings" featuring "1950s New York", where visitors can interact with the art.

As an interlude between the two main exhibitions, Into The Blue will entertain visitors, with moving geometries that change the way you look your surroundings.

Early-bird tickets (until Feb 4) are now available for the exhibitions Piying Dream and Matter Of Painting. They will run from at REXKL from Feb 9 to Sept 6.

Last year, REX.KL transported transported viewers to stunningly crafted alternate realities with Other World, its inaugural immersive art exhibition.

More info here.