Ugo Arsac presents Katabasis in immersive competition at the Cannes festival

Selected among only nine projects in immersive competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Ugo Arsac presents Katabasis, an immersive work at the intersection of documentary, artistic installation, and virtual reality. Through this project, the artist proposes a physical and symbolic descent into the underground tunnels of New York, bringing viewers closer to the invisible inhabitants of the city.

Ugo Arsac is a digital artist based in Marseille, a rising figure in contemporary immersive creation. Trained at the Beaux-Arts, the Decorative Arts of Paris, and then at Fresnoy, he develops work at the intersection of the urban and the human, mythology and anthropology.

His immersive works, installations, and graphic pieces explore living spaces and reveal their intimate dimension. With Katabasis, he continues this approach by diving into the invisible zones of the city and society.

Katabasis draws inspiration from the ancient notion of “catabasis,” the descent to the underworld, here reinterpreted as a crossing through contemporary margins. The work gives voice to those who are unseen: the homeless, shadow workers, poets of the abyss, urban dreamers. Ugo Arsac captures their raw and intimate stories in an experience situated between escape, freedom, and the search for identity.

This immersive journey is situated at the boundary of documentary and urban poetry.

The project is based on real explorations of New York’s underground. Ugo Arsac notably mentions the “storm drains,” immense galleries designed for rainwater drainage, which he explored during long immersions that were sometimes dangerous.

The filmmaker describes impressive spaces where darkness, silence, and volumes create an almost unreal experience. These explorations directly nourish the sensory dimension of the work.

A multiple and evolving immersive work

Unlike a conventional film, Katabasis is a hybrid experience: virtual reality, immersive installation, and museum display. The work can last from ten minutes to forty-five minutes or more, depending on the spectator’s choices. Each session is different, constructed as a narrative path with multiple branches. The project is based on 3D scanning technologies and immersive modeling allowing for the recreation of environments in which the spectator can move freely. Developed over approximately three years (2023–2026), Katabasis mobilizes a multidisciplinary team: developers, engineers, sound designers, and artists specializing in generative systems.

While a core team of about ten people drives the project, Ugo Arsac emphasizes the importance of many external contributors: urban explorers, researchers, residents, and witnesses met throughout development. Among the notable figures in the project is anthropologist Terry Williams, whose work on underground lives in New York directly feeds into the narrative.

The work’s development was supported by several structures, including the Villa Albertine, various producers, and the CNC. This support made it possible to better structure the narrative aspect of the project.

« We arrive at a work that truly has a beginning and an end, and between this beginning and this end, we can experience many different stories », summarizes Ugo Arsac.

When asked about his selection in immersive competition, Ugo Arsac first emphasizes the importance of being selected among only nine projects.

While he mentions the possibility of a prize as an additional visibility factor, he already considers the Cannes selection as major recognition. The project is also attracting interest from many international festivals and institutions.

Beyond Cannes, Ugo Arsac hopes that Katabasis will circulate in different forms in museums, festivals, and immersive spaces. The project is notably to be presented in New York in a format combining virtual reality and artistic installation. Through this work, the artist questions the invisible zones of society and transforms the spectator into an explorer of his own projections.