Somnium

Somnium: A noun that means "dream", "vision", "fantasy", or "day-dream".

Art Exhibition:

August 16-September 27, 2025

Reception: Aug 20, 7-9pm

Artist Talk: Sept 17, 7-9pm

Dougherty Arts Center

Julia C. Butridge Gallery

1110 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78704

About Somnium

“Somnium” is a multimedia exhibition by MetaCaustics, exploring the visual language of the subconscious. Drawing from the Latin word somnium, meaning “dream,” “vision,” or “daydream,” the exhibition weaves together digital works, projection-based installation, paintings, and 3D prints to evoke the layered, nonlinear space of inner experience.

Through a mix of filmed and digitally rendered content, tactile sculptures, and luminous imagery, the works invite viewers into surreal landscapes where fantasy and memory converge. Each piece serves as a portal, offering moments of quiet immersion, curiosity, and emotional resonance. Somnium blurs the boundary between waking and dreaming, inviting audiences to wander through an ethereal, interactive world where reality stretches into something softer, stranger, and more expansive

About MetaCaustics

MetaCaustics is a collaborative new media art duo composed of camera artist Jasna Boudard and 3D artist Topher Sipes. Their partnership merges analog and digital worlds through the shared language of light-based projection. Jasna brings a background in photography, video, and immersive installation, while Topher contributes digital artwork created in VR and Blender.

Together, they create immersive environments where light, movement, and elemental imagery converge, inviting viewers into spaces that feel both grounded and otherworldly. Their work explores the intersection of technology, embodiment, and sensory experience, transforming architectural spaces into portals of presence and perception.

MetaCaustics has exhibited work at multidisciplinary art events such as the Austin Creek Show, Illumaverse, DadaLab, ArtUsCo, and was commissioned to projection-map the Hays County Courthouse. They often create site-specific installations that blend real-world footage with digitally rendered imagery. Whether using Jasna’s camera-based recordings or Topher’s abstract visual compositions, their pieces dissolve boundaries between the tangible and the ethereal, evoking connection through projected light. Their upcoming solo show, Somnium, will open at the Dougherty Arts Center in August, 2025.

Previous Shows

2025

“Somnium” – Texas

2024

"Alignmentality" – Texas

2023

"Illumaverse" – Texas

"Creek Show" – Texas

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Happy New Year from MetaCaustics ✨ We’re grateful for our first full year of co-creating together. We have some exciting projects for this coming year, including our first solo show! 2024 was a year of transformation, 2025 will be a year of
Magical opening night at “Realms of Fungi” @artuscoart annual mushroom art show (the biggest in Texas!) We were honored to showcase several new works. Both of us submitted a physical piece and collaborated on the super trippy 3D animatio
Periods of growth and transformation are often birthed from periods of stillness and introspection. We’re ready to move again, and cooking up some exciting new projects! (Recently inspired by @sarahszestudio at @nashersculpturecenter ) 💖
Join us tonight (May 11th) at Big Medium from 6pm-9pm for Node: Video Art Night. This show will be the first of its kind in Austin, as it is featuring solely projection arts hosted by @essentialscreative Node will explore the themes of art, nature,
Meet the artists behind the Alignmentality and Re-Alignmentality installations that debuted during the San Marcos Studio Tour. @alicia_philley works out of the San Marcos-based @mothershipstudios.smtx Her nature-based art includes themes such as re
While we get ready to reveal our next MetaCaustics project, we wanted to share these stellar images of Celestial Frost that give a better sense of the space it lived in during the Illumaverse. The @dadalab.io venue is a potent canvas for a variety
Install vs. uninstall It’s always fun grabbing some time-lapse videos of setting up (and taking down) our work. Realizing it took us almost the same amount of time to build one frame as it did to breakdown three 😜 (especially when @jasnabouda
Not gonna lie, we already miss the Creek Show 😭 The crowds were insane, thousands of people came to see our work each night! (about 50k+ total over the 9 days). It was fun hiding under the bridge where our work was hanging and anonymously hearing
Out with the old, in with the new. We’re in the process of installing our frames for a new immersive art show. Can’t wait to share more info! Meanwhile, here are some captures of uninstalling Melting Mirrors. We’re pretty proud of
During this week of gratitude, we want to give a huge thank you to all of our friends and family who came out to support us during the Creek Show 🙏 Although the timing didn’t always work out to see everyone, we were lucky to cross paths and c
That’s a wrap 💙 Creek Show was incredible. So many feels. So many memories. So much content to go through. So much gratitude for this experience. We’ll share more. But first, 😴 #creekshow #creekshow2023 #waterloogreenway #waterloopa
Topher gave an artist talk at Waterloo Park last night 🎤 It was a great opportunity to publicly share more info about our process and experience working on Melting Mirrors. A representative from each art team engaged in a dynamic conversation abo
The first weekend of Creek Show was 🤯🥹🤩🫠 Opening night was incredibly special and intimate, reserved for friends, family and ticketed entries. Saturday opened its doors to the public, and the lines wrapped around several blocks (apparently 8k p
Opening night was 💓 For the past 9 months, we transformed “Melting Mirrors” from an idea to a living spectacle for the city of Austin to enjoy. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback, both from strangers and friends. Thank you SO
Creek Show 2023 finally opens its doors to the public tomorrow! We are absolutely honored to be a part of this year’s lineup 🙏 We will be showcasing our piece “Melting Mirrors” alongside these amazing projects: The Creek Keeper
Frame hardware installed ✔️ It is the most rewarding feeling to see an idea you’ve had for months finally take shape and exist in the world. Thank you so much to @ethanayce and Eli for your expertise in helping us install, and the Waterloo t