The founders of Lyon, France-based Théoriz Studio, David-Alexandre Chanel and Jonathan Richer, will soon be opening an audiovisual experience, Nón Lá Poétry, based on the effect of light on the conical hats (nón lá) that reveals the poems hidden within the braided leaves, and bounded with elements of traditional Vietnamese instrumental music.

On their trip to Vietnam several years back, David and Jonathan were fascinated by the nón lá’s shape and the way light travels through its leaves. Bringing the idea back to France, Nón Lá Poétry was born as a project meant to integrate elements of multiple cultures, music and technology. Nón Lá Poétry had its performance one year ago in the Jerusalem Light's festival.

Focused on this traditional symbol of Vietnamese aesthetics, the team will put on a vibrant lightshow based on video mapping, highlighting the object’s texture against a background of electronic music, interwoven with notes of đàn bầu, a traditional Vietnamese musical instrument with a nostalgic, melancholic sound.

Nón Lá Poétry will debut its audiovisual performance at 3A Alternative Art Area on January 21 and will be followed by an Art Talk with the artists the following day.