Artistic approach blends with digital technology in unique ways as Reece Webb sits down with d’strict’s Yoojin Choi to explore the company’s innovative approach.
What makes a truly memorable digital experience?
Many industry professionals have wrangled with this question, from the widely imitated Van Gogh ‘immersive experiences’ that popped up across the UK, Europe and US, to unique visual spectacles such as The Sphere in Las Vegas which continues to draw millions of visitors per year.
But it’s not just venues or one-size-fits-all approaches that deliver wow factor in spades. For d’strict, it takes a thoughtful, cutting-edge approach to storytelling and technology that cannot be replicated anywhere else.
Based in South Korea, d’strict stands out as an innovative and award-winning design company that focuses on creating unique, spatial experiences that integrate content and digital media technology to create something truly magical.
d’strict utilises its content creation specialisation, based on its thorough understanding of digital media technology, creating truly unforgettable experiences that mesmerise audiences all over the world.
Working with international clients in Seoul, Dubai and New York, as well as participating in exhibitions and festivals all over the globe, d’strict has built a reputation based on innovative imagineering. But what drives the company’s creative designers to create technological spectacles that excite and inspire? Does the technology inspire the concept or does the concept inspire the technology?
Yoojin Choi, director of motion division, d'strict, explains: “At d’strict, technology is never treated as an end in itself. Instead, we use it as an artistic language, one that extends perception and thought, and as a tool for delivering new experiences to audiences. Through this approach, we naturally bridge and expand the boundaries between technology and art, offering experiences that feel wholly new. d’strict’s design process always begins with the principle that ideas lead technology. Technology is both a tool and a language of expression.
What we focus on most is the experience we wish to deliver to the audience. When planning a new exhibition or showcase, we first interpret the unique context of a space: its location, form, structure, flow, and history. From there, we freely expand our ideas and then integrate the technical solutions required to bring them to life. In this way, technology becomes a sensory instrument that translates ideas into reality.
“Of course, new ideas can sometimes emerge within existing technologies, but d’strict’s ultimate goal is never to display technology for its own sake. It is to ensure that technology naturally transforms into an artistic experience. Rather than one defining the other, technology and art exist in a mutually evolving relationship. Art gains form through technology, and technology gains meaning through art. New technologies can expand the possibilities of art, just as artistic imagination can guide the direction of technology.”
Unprecedented experiences
In a world where exposure to content can feel constant, standing out in an ever-more crowded
digital environment can be a challenge. Audience expectations continue to rise, requiring an
inspired approach to truly excite onlookers. For d’strict, this process doesn’t just ask audiences to look, but to think and to feel through technology, storytelling and emotion.
Choi explains: “The essence of a d’strict experience is an experience like no other. We don’t merely create visual stimuli; we design expanded experiences that invite audiences to think, feel, and draw inspiration. To achieve this, we combine technology, art, and space to build immersive environments where the senses and perception are simultaneously expanded. We experiment with new artistic sensibilities and visual languages, even through ordinary materials, spaces, and technologies, to craft moments that are both intuitive and thought-provoking. Ultimately, d’strict strives to create experiences where art and technology are felt as one. Within these moments, the audience moves beyond passive observation to become an active participant, expanding meaning through their own engagement.”
This philosophy extends to the space in which digital technology will play a key part, harnessing the unique character, feel, acoustics and design of a space to enhance the experience through content and digital media.
Choi says: “While the technical specifications of each exhibition space are important, the narrative potential of the space matters even more. When designing content, we always ask: ‘Is this an experience that can exist only in this space?’ and ‘Can this be seen only here?’
“We first examine whether the space itself is compelling, whether it naturally guides the audience’s gaze and supports full immersion. For instance, Outernet London’s spatial design - where we’ve staged major works - encourages free exploration, utilising even the ceiling and upper areas. [In our projects there] we directed characters to move fluidly above the audience’s heads, enabling a three-dimensional experience of the entire space. Displays and technologies serve as instruments to realise such spatial potential. These experiences are crafted to exist only in this specific environment, creating moments of deep immersion for every visitor.”
New directions
d'strict enjoys a successful partnership with the Outernet London venue, delivering what the company called a “mega-performance” in the form of FLOW in 2024, an immersive storytelling experience that used the 16K screens of the venue’s Now Building for a surrealist show that explores the history of art through towering digital figures.
In 2025, d’strict returns to the iconic venue with a sequel to the crowd favourite show with a new vision and technical changes that put the audience at the centre of the experience.
Choi explains: “While the previous work, FLOW, explored the progression of art history from the renaissance to impressionism, FLOW, Thereafter centres on the audience’s subjective interpretation of contemporary art. It seeks to depict a shift, from individuals who once conformed to societal rules to those who now create meaning for themselves. To achieve this, we introduced the concept of a ‘misinterpretation performance’, a framework designed to make contemporary art, which can often feel abstract or undefined, more accessible and engaging.
“There are also technical developments. In FLOW, the director guided the viewer’s perspective, whereas in FLOW, Thereafter, we employed a 360-degree 3D dome camera that allows audiences to choose their own viewpoint, follow the main character, and immerse themselves freely in the work.
As a result, the audience is no longer a passive observer but an active participant who steps into the piece to explore meaning firsthand.”
Today’s digital exhibitions are increasingly taking place in venues that blend architecture, LED, projection and audio directly into their designs, creating a new cityscape that reflects our increasing dependence on technology for entertainment, artistic engagement and information.
This growing trend is giving architects and digital designers a brand new canvas to work with, and d’strict is embracing this trend with both hands.
Choi closes: “Architecture and digital media art are growing ever more intertwined, continually expanding one another’s possibilities. Architecture is transforming from a structure that merely houses experiences into a canvas that creates them, interacting dynamically with digital content. In turn, digital media reinterprets architectural forms and environments through an artistic lens, allowing both disciplines to evolve together.
“In the future, the boundary between architecture and digital art will blur even further. We envision this convergence developing into fully immersive environments, extending beyond specific venues to encompass entire cities. When technology, architecture, and art unite, the city itself can become an expansive canvas that stimulates the senses and imagination of all who move through it.”