For the New Horizons city festival, Leuven looked back five centuries to move forward. Flemish master Dieric Bouts returned to the city—not as a historical figure, but as a living presence—embodying the same spirit of exploration that defines the festival today.
I led the creative direction and visual development of Bouts as the festival’s central figure, reimagining him as a contemporary digital icon. Using MetaHuman and Cinema 4D, I art-directed and produced a fully realized 3D version of Bouts, designed to function across print, motion, and spatial media.
To bring him convincingly to life, I set up a custom motion-capture studio and collaborated with Belgian actor Tom Van Bauwel, translating human performance into a digital character with presence and nuance. This resulted in two animation pieces: the official festival announcement film and a commercial spot for Museum M Leuven.
The project culminated in a hologram installation exhibited at Leuven City Hall, where Bouts addressed visitors directly—collapsing time, technology, and history into a single immersive experience.