THE SONG TRAPPER (2025)
Moving Image, Virtual Performance and Spatialized Sound.
Invited to participate within the Louis Vuitton Fondation’s 17th edition of its Open Space programme, The Song Trapper, a solo exhibition and new work by Jakob Kudsk Steensen, premieres the first chapter in his immersive operatic and video game project, titled Evoker.
The Song Trapper (2025), is a video installation melding moving images, virtual performance, and sound. Shown on LED screens, the video features the first character created by the artist. Born from an ink and watercolor drawing, the Song Trapper was modeled in 3D and then animated in virtual environments. Unable to speak, they travel through these worlds, collecting sounds from the surrounding environment, which they then assemble, remix, and reproduce using musical devices attached to their clothing. During their journey, the Song Trapper crosses deserts, marshes, and salt flats in search of fragments of voices and traces of sounds. The narrative is guided by a free-verse poem written by the artist, which appears as a subtitle. Merging personal experience and speculations about the future, the story offer reflections on our changing world.
In keeping with his usual approach, Jakob Kudsk Steensen worked with various collaborators to design this new installation: motion capture specialists and actor and dancer Iris Thomsen to animate the character, along with artists Matt McCorkle and Lyra Pramuk for the soundscape. To extend the video’s atmosphere, the artist has bathed Gallery 8 in a greenish light and a scent specially designed with perfumer Yann Vasnier, blending complex notes of marsh and earth.
This terrain is built from previous fieldwork by Steensen, including underwater volcanoes, desert lakes, swamps and crystalline wetlands and previous virtual worlds by Steensen; The Ephemeral Lake (2024), Berl-Berl (2021-22) and Liminal Lands (2021)
Virtual Stills: Jakob Kudsk Steensen, The Song Trapper, 2025. Moving image, virtual performance and spatialised sound.
Louis Vuitton Fondation Installation
16 October 2025 - 02 March 2026
Curated by Claudia Buizza and Ludovic Delalande
Paris, France
Physically within Louis Vuitton’s Gallery 8, the 4-channel video is supported by vertical LED screens that mimic stained glass windows, and are a site specific response to Gallery 8’s chapel like qualities. Sound is further mapped onto the Gallery’s architecture, using video game technology Steensen has specialised over many years and what the artist refers to as ‘a spatial instrument’.
Elsewhere covering the walls of Gallery 8 include marsh-green-blue-brown hues that draw upon Steensen’s travels to swamp, marshes and lake waters. A custom scent made in collaboration with Yann Vasnier adds to these ecological reference, its inspirations draws from amphibians, seaweed and rust-like ingredients.
Installation Views: Jakob Kudsk Steensen, The Song Trapper, 2025. Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris France.
Original Watercolour and Ink sketch for The Song Trapper: Jakob Kudsk Steensen 2024.
Creating The Song Trapper: Text, Code, Animation, Song
As in video games, environments transform with the Song Trapper’s gestures and vice versa; movement, sound, and landscape come together in rhythm that is led by a first person poetic narrative text by the artist. This text by Steensen is foundational for all elements within the artwork - animating The Song Trapper’s world, movement, and sounds, much like we need to animate our physical world in order to make sense of it.
Virtual performance and choreography for example, was directly influenced by Steensen’s spoken words whilst on set with actor Iris Thomsen, and rehearsed in real-time through supporting volumetric motion capture at BrainBar Studio with Producer Mikael Jaeger Jensen.
Original Watercolour and Ink sketch for Nökken: Jakob Kudsk Steensen 2024.
The Song Trapper; PRESS & MEDIA
Jakob Kudsk Steensen unveils an immersive digital art exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Hube Magazine November 2025.
The Song Trapper, GameScenes October 2025.
Nora Khan, The Song Trapper, Numéro October 2025.
Open Space #17 Jakob Kudsk Steensen, The Song Trapper, E-Flux October 2025.
Artwork Credits
Jakob Kudsk Steensen, The Song Trapper 2025
Moving image, virtual performance, spatialised sound (20 mins, 55 seconds).
Written and Created by Jakob Kudsk Steensen. Supported by Louis Vuitton Fondation.
© Jakob Kudsk Steensen 2025.
Creation Credits
Character Art, Virtual Worlds and Video - Jakob Kudsk Steensen.
Motion Capture Actor – Iris Thomsen.
Lead Sound Artist - Matt McCorkle.
Vocals and Vocal Composition – Lyra Pramuk.
Motion Capture Producer – Mikael Jaeger Jensen.
Technical Lead – Wouter Weynants.
Technical Character Artist – Pierre Moulin.
Technical Producer – Andrea Familari.
Installation Production - Arter.
Co-Producer - Liz Kircher.
Project Producer/Studio Management - Alex Boyes.
Fragrance created in collaboration with Yann Vasnier, perfumer at Givaudan.
Curated by Claudia Buizza and Ludovic Delalande.