KAIST Presents “Cine Forest: Awakening Bloom” at the 2025 Seongnam Festival
— A world-first large-scale forest media art performance combining cutting-edge technology, an orchestra, a citizen choir, and AI —
Daejeon, Republic of Korea, September 18, 2025 — KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced that
Professor Jinjoon Lee, of the Graduate School of Culture Technology and Director of the Art & Technology Center, will direct a groundbreaking media art performance titled
Cine Forest: Awakening Bloom. The production, co-organized with the
Seongnam Cultural Foundation, will be staged
September 19–21, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. each evening at
Bundang Central Park Outdoor Theater as part of 2025
Seongnam Festival.
Transforming the autumn night forest into a massive “open theater,” the performance will feature the world’s first
200-meter projection mapping on a forest environment. This immersive production merges city and nature, technology and humanity, offering audiences an unprecedented multi-sensory journey.
A Tale of Hope and Imagination
The performance draws inspiration from the fairy tale
The Giant Who Became a Star, in which a giant shares starlight with the people of a darkened city before ultimately becoming a star himself. This poetic narrative reflects on the innocence and hope that modern society has lost.
Advanced Technology Meets Human Creativity
The large-scale show employs
16 ultra-high-resolution projectors (40,000 -45,000 ANSI lumens), laser systems, smoke effects, and advanced
3D Gaussian splatting technology to digitally reconstruct the forest. Additional innovations include
AI-generated voice synthesis,
VR-based simulations, and immersive
spatial sound design.
Community participation is also central to the performance: a
70-piece orchestra, a
1,000-member citizen choir, AI agents, and iconic film soundtracks will blend with natural sounds collected from the forest—such as wind, water, and insects—creating a truly immersive soundscape.
A Director’s Vision
Professor Lee emphasized: “This performance goes beyond media art. It is about creating a liminal experience where nature and city, technology and humanity organically coexist. We hope audiences will experience a living landscape painting, where every breath and step becomes part of the narrative.”
Event Details
- Event: 2025 Seongnam Festival
- Title: Cine Forest: Awakening Bloom
- Dates: September 19 (Fri) – 21 (Sun), 2025, 7:30 p.m.
- Venue: Bundang Central Park Outdoor Theater, Seongnam
- Artistic Director: Prof. Jinjoon Lee (Graduate School of Culture Technology, KAIST; Director, Art & Technology Center)
- Organizers: Seongnam City
- Co-Organizers: Seongnam Cultural Foundation, Korea Media Symphony, KAIST A
- rt & Technology Center