Philippe Cohen Solal, a French musician, composer, and producer, is a founding member of Gotan Project. An eclectic artist and technology enthusiast, he now draws inspiration from the works of Henry Darger, a major figure in Art Brut, to create his transmedia project INSIDER-OUTSIDER, which combines live performance, music, and immersive experiences.
OUTSIDER and Meeting Henry Darger
Philippe Cohen Solal – INSIDER-OUTSIDER is the result of a true artistic love affair… with Henry Darger. This self-taught artist, who operated outside modern art conventions (“outsider”), was a genius in both drawing and literature, creating throughout his life without ever showing his work. Darger embodies pure creativity and is the definition of Art Brut. There’s no intention of external validation; he creates primarily for himself.
I discovered Henry Darger and Art Brut at the American Folk Art Museum in New York in 2003 during a U.S. tour with Gotan Project. By chance, I also met his heirs. Darger’s work, primarily analog, is made up of collages, drawings, and texts. His world fascinated me, with its depiction of a rich, imaginary battle between the realms of children and adults. But, to me, it called for a complementary musical and auditory dimension. Darger even wrote song lyrics! After a retrospective exhibition in Paris in 2006, we continued discussions to develop a broader, transmedia project to turn his creations into a musical show: OUTSIDER.
Creating a Multi-Sensory Show
Initially, my collaborator Mike Lindsay and I composed music based on Darger’s song lyrics, while showcasing a handcrafted panorama of his drawings and paintings. We aimed to showcase the breadth of his work through digital means. It’s a vintage universe that evokes a form of pop culture from the 1930s to the 1960s, largely inspired by his 15,000-page collection “In the Realms of the Unreal”.
Our album was ready by the end of 2019, but, of course, COVID-19 delayed any touring possibilities. The pandemic also gave us time to consider other ways to bring OUTSIDER to the public when concerts were so limited. I decided to use 2D animation to create more polished visuals, which led me to videographer Pascal Gary (aka formazero). Together, we collaborated with the Rainbox collective, particularly Gabriel Jacquel, to develop the project’s visual concept. We ended up with short, highly narrative visual clips to accompany our music compositions, which allowed us to delve deeper into the material created by Darger.
Finally, we were able to present the full project at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 2021 as a performance blending DJ and VJ elements, with visuals, sound, and narration featuring actor Denis Lavant. Once the pandemic was over, I explored virtual reality to further expand OUTSIDER, inspired by immersive experiences like Blanca Li’s *Le Bal de Paris*. Exploring worlds that don’t exist fascinated me, and I was eager to return to this medium. VR offers an amazing opportunity for a suspended experience where one can explore benevolent, dreamlike worlds.
From OUTSIDER to INSIDER-OUTSIDER
I’ve always had an organic approach to my creations, which gives me a way of moving forward that’s almost indestructible. My artistic practice is open and unrestricted. With Gotan Project, we already mixed sound and visuals, constantly seeking new challenges. The pandemic pushed us to find new ways to share our music, reimagine concerts, and communicate our work. Transmedia and VR are part of this movement, and I came to them naturally in search of new ways to share my stories with the public. I also wanted to offer something handmade and accessible, avoiding a futuristic vision of VR limited to a few enthusiasts. INSIDER-OUTSIDER is the culmination of OUTSIDER, bringing the audience closer to what we want to offer.
Thanks to a collaboration with Lucid Realities (Chloé Jarry, Alessandra Bogi), the idea of a VR version of OUTSIDER took shape. We share a passion for contemporary art and the habit of integrating various artistic practices. I also came with a wealth of existing content: the story, images, music. The challenge was to transpose it all into virtual reality while incorporating music as an interactive element, exploring how musical interactions could function within a narrative space.
The idea was to bring all our work on OUTSIDER into the VR medium, which ties seamlessly into Darger’s imaginary-focused work. For him, the real world wasn’t suitable; he led a difficult life, with little social satisfaction. All this inspired me to create an immersive version of OUTSIDER, INSIDER-OUTSIDER, as a way to expand upon Darger’s world. It’s like creating a piece of music inspired by something you’ve just seen or read—the blend of genres is always enriching for me.
Imagining the Concert of Tomorrow… in Virtual Reality
Exploring all these possibilities of interaction and audience engagement gives me new ideas and perspectives. Bringing the show to life in virtual spaces has ecological and personal implications. Projects like Gorillaz Presents in augmented reality or Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert offer interesting ideas for immersive concerts. I have a deep passion for live concerts and festivals, but technology offers complementary options. New ways of sharing art, perhaps using VR, could help it reach a broader, more targeted audience.
Today, a prototype of INSIDER-OUTSIDER exists and was presented at the Centre des Arts in Enghien-les-Bains during the Bains numériques festival. All versions of OUTSIDER now exist and can be experienced together or separately—a truly composite work. We hope to showcase it soon in Chicago, Darger’s birthplace, among other destinations.