Mue Studio
Jesse: You both have a background as photographers. What made you want to start working in 3D? Do you see this work as an extension of your earlier work in photography?
Mue Studio: Yes, we definitely see our work as an extension of our earlier work in photography. Although our medium has changed, the message in the art we deliver still stands the same. When we worked on the series of The Paradise at the end of New York, which is the first photography project we worked on together, we were interested in geometry and primary colors. We explored the fine line between reality and fantasy through the language of colors, which also empowers viewers to travel those spaces. Even to this day, our work focuses on dressing hyperreal color to reality, to further challenge the boundaries of the viewer’s imagination.
We both have a background in photography and we often imagined what our future would entail as artists. “Photography could soon go beyond its current 2D boundaries.” At that time, we had a chance to attend Adobe MAX 2016 and 2017, we encountered the Project Felix, formerly Adobe Dimension, and quickly realized that it could be quite a powerful tool to push our creative boundaries from 2D to 3D. At that time, we believed there were some commonalities as well as differences between photography and 3D art. The strongest connection is the fact that we are still creating the desired image, while the working process behind them might differ. One advantage of 3D art is that you are free from the restrictions of location, time, and weather. Also, another difference would be that you are starting your work from the empty canvas in 3D, whereas a photography project works from the other end of the spectrum by deleting the unwanted objects in the image.
“One advantage of 3D art is that you are free from the restrictions of location, time, and weather. ”
J: How does Substance factor into your process?
MS: Substance program plays a key role in improving our quality within the detail. For instance, we may want to purchase a certain texture, but that particular texture might not be available in the market. This is when Substance allows us to customize the image or create a brand new feel.
J: You’ve established a specific style characterized by minimalist spaces and soothing colors, tinged with an aspect of the surreal. When you’re setting out to make a new piece, how do you go about determining your concept and key elements?
MS: We believe the minimalist design is the best way to express our theme. Our usual approach is “less is more,” because it is the most effective way to present a comfortable vibe (i.e., virtual vacation). It becomes difficult to promote comfort when the image gets cluttered. Soft light and directional light scenes that imply early dawn or dusk are best depicted during sunrise and sunset, and these are the modality to deliver subtle emotions, melancholy, and the mysterious scenes that we like to provide. It also makes your images look more interesting to your viewers. Also, the sky at the time of sunrise and sunset has a full spectrum of colors with many details. In the larger context of psychology, sunrise and sunset represent the cycle of nature, including that of humans and other living things. This is why we like to utilize sunrise and sunset to provoke feelings, through colors, tones, and compositions.
J: Many of your pieces depict imaginary spaces that still look quite plausible. In a sense they are dream worlds, but is there also a way that they are “realer” to you than ones in the physical world?
MS: We actually have those moments. One example is during our collaboration, we merged actual models into our imaginary spaces. This made us feel like this space truly existed, and we learned that adding human factors increases the reality of the space we create.
J: Has designing these types of specific and imaginative spaces changed how you see the physical spaces you inhabit, or what you want out of these physical spaces?
MS: Absolutely. Our goal has been to explore the fine line between reality and imagination. This is why we believe our work falls under semi-surrealism, rather than full-blown surrealism. A space that might exist in the reality but it really doesn't - this is the vibe we aim to create. So the ultimate intention here is to make our viewers feel a sense of intimacy and displacement at the same time.