Discover the contemporary work of Marc Boulay

Between Art and Science…

“ [Normality is not the pinnacle of what can be achieved” Anne-Claire Damaggio

As a passionate artist and author, I navigate the border between art and science to imagine the evolution of life, whether past, future or non-terrestrial. My work in Speculative Art is based on scientific rigor combined with creativity limitless, allowing me to design universes and species that push the boundaries of imagination.

I am the initiator and lead author of the book Demain, Les Animaux du Futur (Boulay/Steyer, Belin) and co-author of Combien de doigts a un étranger? (Lehoucq/Steyer/Boulay, Belin). These works reflect my commitment to exploring the possibilities of evolution through immersive visual narratives and innovative concepts.

My expertise allows me to create timeless works, such as Another World and Carnets de Voyages Stellaires, as well as large-scale immersive projects, the image of the final scene of Interstellar Postcards, made in 360°/12k for the Planetarium of the Cité des Sciences in Paris.

Always in search of new horizons, I design and create new biomes and worlds, for which I sometimes seek the assistance of scientists specialized in various specific fields. These collaborations enrich my creations with biological, anatomical and ecosystemic realism, merging imagination and scientific rigor for results that are both improbable and rigorously coherent.

À Through my works, I like to take my audience, as varied as they may be, on my motionless journeys, revealing forms of life as original and unexpected. Whether through my books, my conferences, or my concept art and art direction projects, I strive to share this singular vision of evolution, framed imagination and speculative art.

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XenoBiologia: The Nature of the Future
"As we continue to exploring space, I think it is still possible that we will find living or fossilized organisms somewhere in the universe. But until that moment comes, if it ever does, I am content to imagine and model what seems possible to me rather than believing in what is impossible." ✨🪐😊

Art & Science: Speculative Evolution and Xenobiology ...

Imagination is at the heart of the artistic creative process, because it allows us to conceive of forms of life that no longer exist or do not exist in reality. From an artistic point of view, these practices and disciplines are based on this ability to imagine what could or could exist based on current scientific knowledge, then to digitally model these life forms while trying to understand how they could function.

Here, in a few sentences, is my work process:
After very long moments of observation and reflection on the living world, I sketch and sculpt my ecosystems and specimens with organic modeling software. I also sometimes take a sheet of paper and any pencil.Then, I rework the results obtained with various digital tools in order to obtain images or scenes close to what I had initially imagined. In general, the gap is very small, otherwise, I start again.

My research and work are carried out in my home studio in Normandy, from where I only leave when absolutely necessary. I start my days around 4 or 5 am. I like to work in silence, but sometimes during periods of total creation, I find myself listening to non-commercial music. I enjoy one or two espresso coffees daily at cinnamon with lavender honey from Provence or garrigue honey, and also, I don't like snow: It's white, cold and makes disgusting mush when it melts! That's it. For more information, it's here > marcboulay.xyz