In just a few short years, VR has gone from being a flashy new technology primarily associated with gaming to claiming its place as a dynamic visual playground for artists and filmmakers who are reimagining and transforming our cinematic experiences. With VR — and its even newer twin, Augmented Reality (AR) — now coming into its own as a means of artistic expression, this year’s Festival is the perfect moment to explore this burgeoning field and fascinating new chapter in cinematic storytelling.
To celebrate VR’s coming out party, we have curated a special selection of nine VR projects that we feel represent some of the best, most engaging, and mind-expanding work of the last two years. From the revelatory and riveting Giant to the intensely empathetic and formally challenging Across the Line and Out of Exile: Daniel’s Story; from the delightfully joyful and trippy Use Your Imagination to the stunningly staged and brilliantly performed Through You and the jaw-dropping and nerve-jangling Richie’s Plank Experience, we have created a feast for the senses and the mind. In addition, as a Special Presentation, we are featuring Heroes, A Duet in Mixed Reality, which uses both virtual reality and augmented reality. The VR and the Future of Storytelling Exhibition runs from Friday, April 21 - Tuesday, April 25 at St. Anthony Main. Admission is free and open to the public.
EXHIBITION HOURS:
Friday, April 21 - 5:00pm-7:30pm
Saturday, April 22 & Sunday, April 23 - 1:00pm-9:00pm
Monday, April 24 - 4:00pm-9:00pm
Tuesday, April 25 - 4:00pm-8:00pm
To sign up for a free timeslot, visit the welcome desk at the VR/AR Exhibition Space on the St. Anthony Main First Floor.
Augmented Reality Exhibition
Heroes, A Duet in Mixed Reality
Melissa Painter Attending
Lead Artists: Melissa Painter, Eric Adrian Marshall, Tim Dillon, Thomas Wester, Jason Schugardt, Laura Gorenstein Miller | 2017 | 11 min | USA
This special presentation is a full 360° Virtual and Augmented Reality dance experience set to the iconic song “Heroes” by David Bowie. Your two-part journey begins with a VR component followed by the opportunity, through the use of Augmented Reality, to interact directly with the piece using your own body. Dance Theater partnered with MPC VR to develop this unique and dazzling project.
Virtual Reality Exhibition
Across the Line
Jeff Fitzsimmons Attending
Lead Artists: Nonny de la Peña, Jeff Fitzsimmons, Brad Lichtenstein | 2017 | 8 min | USA
An immersive VR experience that combines 360° video and computer generated imaging (CGI) to put viewers in the shoes of a patient entering a health center for a safe and legal abortion.
Giant
Lead Artists: Milica Zec, Winslow Turner Porter III | 2016 | 5 min | USA
Trapped in an active war-zone, two parents struggle to distract their young daughter by inventing a fantastical tale. Inspired by real events, this immersive VR experience transports the viewer into the family’s makeshift basement shelter. The parents’ fairytale intensifies as bomb-blasts draw closer and closer...
Minnesota 360
Chuck Olsen Attending
Lead Artists: Chuck Olsen | 2016 | 3 min | USA
Experience Minnesota in a whole new light in this eye-opening 360 degree journey.
Notes to My Father
Lead Artists: Jayisha Patel | 2017 | 11 min | USA
A story of love, grief and reconciliation, between a survivor of child trafficking and her father.
Operation Aspen
Lead Artists: Danfung Dennis | 2017 | 16 min | USA
Join activists from Direct Action Everywhere as they document the conditions inside a factory farm that houses thousands of egg-laying hens.
Out of Exile: Daniel's Story
Lead Artists: Nonny de la Pen~a | 2017 | 10 min | USA
When Daniel Ashley Pierce is confronted about his sexual orientation by his family in a “religious intervention,” the scene turns dramatic and violent. This piece recreates the event using video captured by Daniel at the time.
Richie's Plank Experience
Lead Artists: Richard Eastes, Toni Eastes | 2016 | 7 min | Australia
Richie’s Plank Experience will test your fear of heights as you walk 80 stories high in VR, on a real world plank of wood.
Through You
Lead Artists: Saschka Unseld, Lilly Baldwin | 2017 | 14 min | USA
An experimental multimedia dance project that uses the medium to place the viewer into the thick of a lifelong romance.
Under the Canopy
Lead Artists: Patrick Meegan | 2017 | 11 min | USA
The world’s greatest rainforest is also one of its most vital life-support systems — and it is under threat. Go “under the canopy” to experience the wonders of the Amazon rainforest and appreciate why we need to protect it.
Use Your Imagination
Lead Artists: Roberto Drilea | 2017 | 5 min | USA
A VR musical told from the perspective of a child with autism who discovers comfort, community, and confidence through music and the arts. Written and performed by young artists with autism spectrum disorder.