Through visual language combined with modern projection technology, the two works "The Eternal Horse" and "Surface Metadata" use the image of galloping horses to tell the heroic historical story, the strong aspiration to rise up of cities and the country in the development flow.
Accordingly, "Bach Ma Du Hanh Thoi Gian" consists of 9 chapters, describing the journey of a white horse galloping along the length of the country, crossing mist, the sea, terraced fields in the highlands, to Hue, Ba Son port and the modern Metro system.
According to the author group, the image of the White Horse shows the resilience and ability to overcome challenges of Vietnamese people in the face of changes of time, despite experiencing a lot of wear and tear and fluctuations, still retaining their core values.
To complete the work, the group of artists worked continuously for nearly 3 months. Each scene went through 20 rounds of meticulous adjustment, some scenes up to 42 rounds. Notably, the content was projected on the vertical surface of the tower integrating a high-resolution LED grid covering the four sides, with a total display area of about 39,000m2. Thanks to that, images can be observed from many locations in the city, especially in the Thu Thiem area and the center of Ho Chi Minh City.
Meanwhile, "Super Surface Data" is built from 1,016 images of patterns and physical surfaces across Vietnam, through many historical periods from 1010 to 2026. These images were collected by photographers during their journey across Vietnam, then processed by the group of artists using TouchDesigner technology to create depth and motion effects.
On the background of that image, the scene of a herd of horses galloping appears, crossing the screening space. The special thing is that these horses are developed from drawings created by the people themselves and sent to the Organizing Committee. From those drawings, the group of artists adapted them into moving images according to the motif "Eight Horses Flying in the Wind" (Eight Horses Flying in the Wind), an Asian symbol of solidarity, perseverance and aspiration to rise up.
Besides the two main works, the exhibition space also includes "Tunnel of Time Travel" allowing images to change according to the viewer's footsteps, or "Wheel of Consciousness" with 828 LED modules arranged in a spiral structure, evoking the feeling of "drifting between pieces of a dream" when moving around or through the structure.
The exterior area is arranged with a fountain combined with high-powered water music, bringing eye-catching lighting and sound performances in the evening. Besides, there is a green garden space, where visitors can stop to rest before ending their tour.
The Year of the Horse exhibition is open completely free until March 10 at Saigon Marina IFC complex (Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City). On weekdays, the work "White Horse Traveling Time" is screened. Especially on weekends from 7 pm to 9 pm, the public can enjoy the "Super Surface Data" project.
