2021 – a year with more and more VR experiences shown in festivals, and definitely different Juries had challenging tasks to give Awards. Romantic stories, futuristic ones, documentaries or social impactful types of experiences, it seems XR gets to cover more diverse topics. And it feels like new audiences are attracted toward the space. We tried to sum-up some of our favorites places to visit in VR, some of not-to-miss experiences, but also ever-greens that makes this emerging industry so exciting. So, if you are new to VR, this is a good place to start your journey!
And obviously, we are eagerly looking forward to what XR directors are preparing for 2022! Festivals will continue and at least in the first part of the year we are really looking forward to Sundance FILM FESTIVALS and NewImagesFestivals.
Goliath
Namoo
7 Grams
Through mind-bending animation, the experience explores the limits of reality and a true story of so-called ‘schizophrenia’ and the power of gaming communities. Echo guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years isolated in psychiatric institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heartfelt dialogue, mesmerizing visuals and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath’s poignant story More info about the project
Namoo (meaning “tree” in Korean) is a deeply personal yet surprisingly universal piece, inspired by Erick Oh’s grandfather’s death. The narrative follows the journey of a man from his birth up until the end of his life: as he falls in love with painting and another person, realizing that not all love lasts forever. The Namoo is a metaphor for the man’s life, as it collects his meaningful memories in its branches – from pacifiers and stuffed animals to books, typewriters, and favorite scarves — to broken glasses and objects from times he’d rather forget.
After the success of The Enemy, Karim Ben Khelifa teams up onceagain with Lucid Reality’s executive producer Chloé Jarry. This time the duo tells the story of smartphones through a smartphone, using AR. Every mobile contains approximately seven grams of precious minerals, but these are often extracted in horrendous conditions, violating basic human rights. More info about the project
SAMSARA
GLIMPSE
MARCO &Polo
A fantastic experience where users can witness the destruction of Earth, the search for solutions, the beauty of existence in new forms of life; and all these trigger you to question and reflect on humanity’s evolution. In the first part, users are transported through different times that show the essence of our unfortunate history of wars and hate that led to our destruction. After Earth is destroyed, humans embark to discover space, but after an accident, only few are left. And those few have to find new shapes and forms to survive on other planets, even rewriting their DNA, and realizing the connections between us.
A highly sensitive and emotive experience, a visual feast set in the imaginative mind of a heartbroken Panda named Herbie (voiced by Taron Egerton), who has recently broken up with his deer girlfriend Rice (Lucy Boynton). Herbie is an illustrator and through his art we delve back through the memories of his relationship from the heart-breaking end to the beautiful beginning. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, the journey brings on an incredible, emotive trip, right into the heart of a relationship.
Marco and Polo Go Around is a surreal love story. What seems in the beginning a usual morning, where the couple is celebrating Marco’s birthday, turns out to be a beginning of an end. As the couple confront problems, reality is changing, including the physical reality: furniture, appliances take off from the ground and are sent to the sky. A very nice and suggestive twist in the story, to represent a world that is falling apart.
‘OLDIES, BUT GOLDIES’
The Dawn of Art
Henry
I saw the Future
Travel in the Past, and explore the first piece of art made by our ancestors, 36.000 years ago. Enter the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche, France, that hosts some of the oldest cave drawings in the world. The story brings to life the way the First Man lived, and interestingly how their life was surrounded by the art they made in the caves. The experience is directed by Pierre Zandrowicz, and produced by Atlas V, France.
The sweet, little and loving hedgehog, Henry, has a big problem: he can’t hug anyone. After ending up alone on his birthday, he made a wish that would change everything. And friends will find the most creative solution so Henry can embrace his Friends. An adorable story to watch for both kids and adults! An Emmy award-winning VR film, narrated by Elijah Wood.
An amazing VR experience about the famous predictions of Arthur C. Clarke that was revealed in 1964 at BBC. A travel in time, in the past and in the future, as the British author looks forward to how machines will become more intelligent, and how our biology will be transformed by the fusion of machines. An experience that will make you reflect how we shape the future, or how the future shapes us. And if you are a transhumanist, you will definitely enjoy it.
Baba-yaga
Claude Monet
The Enemy
An interactive VR experience with multiple endings, depending on the choice you make, produced by award-winning Baobab Studio. Sometimes a force for evil, sometimes a force for good, the enigmatic witch Baba Yaga uses her powers to protect the forest. When your mother, the village chief, falls deathly ill, it is up to you and your sister Magda to do the unthinkable—enter the forest, uncover its hidden mysteries and get the cure from Baba Yaga.
Get to know the world of famous artist Claude Monet, an immersive experience produced by award-winning studio Lucid Reality. Through a dialogue between Claude Monet and his old friend, statesman George Clemenceau, this contemplative VR experience invites the user on a sensory journey starting off in Claude Monet’s garden, stopping along the way at the workshop of the artist and ending in the exhibition rooms of the Oranjerie Museum. The user is given the opportunity to relive a perpetual renewal of nature, to explore time and space while immersed in the Water lilies paintings.
First conceived as a photo exhibition by war photojournalist, Karim Ben Khelifa decided to transform it into a virtual reality immersive experience. Participants encounter combatants on opposite sides of conflicts in Israel/Palestine, the Congo, and El Salvador and each fighter offers a personal perspective on war, including
One of the favorite places to meet for artists, Museum of Other Realities hosts VR Festivals such as NewImages, Tribeca or Vancouver International Film Festival. It showcases, native VR artworks, or VR fashion. But, it is also a place where you can connect and spend quality time with friends, while enjoying immersive art.
Art Gate VR is one of the first museums (or platforms) in VR where galleries can host events, curate exhibitions, promote artists, meet collectors, and in general do business. recently, the team organized the first Biennale in the Metaverse. Learn more about it, by reading our discussion with Brendon McNaughton, CEO and Founder of Artgate VR
From December 24nd to January 1st , 2022, you can enjoy for free the curated VR artworks on Radiance App. Radiance is a research platform and database for VR art, Currently we present 193 artworks by 180 artists or artist collectives from 38 countries.
