TechvangArt was present constantly at Venice Film Festival covering the Immersive section. Have a look at our archives with The Best reviews and Interviews.
#1 COMFORTLESS. “Your Silence is a Mirror” – REVIEW
There are histories that we dislike and we want to forget. But we should not. ”COMFORTLESS”, presented at Venice Biennale 2023, Venice Immersive, tells such a story that humanity should always remember: the stories of ‘US military comfort women’.
A conscious effort to bury part of South Korean history: the stories of women that were stationed in towns and forced into prostitution for US soldiers, with the complicity of authorities. A reality and history that is even today repressed in Korean society, is brought to life through ”COMFORTLESS”. Because these stories should not be wiped-out of humanity’s collective memories, even if these memories are… comfortless.
”COMFORTLESS” is the last part of Gina Kim’s VR trilogy on US military comfort women in South Korea following BLOODLESS and TEARLESS. READ TECHVANGART REVIEW HERE:
#2 Exploring Infinity with Sen: XR Experience of Tea Ceremony – REVIEW
A different kind of Japanese tea ceremony! One with a distinct flavour, where its savour is enhanced by remarkable visuals, that will lift your spirit. “SEN” a multiplayer VR animation, presented at Venice Biennale 2023, Venice Immersive, is an outstanding experience – playful, reviving and meditative – where you can rediscover yourself, and at the same time, share the joy of this journey alongside other people.
The user is immersed in the traditional Japanese Ritual, holding a black Raku tea bowl in the tea house called Tai-an, both national treasures of Japan, where one can meet the Spirit of Tea, called Sen.
“I have come to believe that we, the life forms on earth, are as pale as particles dissolving in an infinite universe and exist for the time of a heartbeat”, says the XR creator, Keisuke Itoh.
Read TechvangART review HERE:
#3 Dissecting Conventions; When Space Becomes a Character – INTERVIEW
“Over the Rainbow” is definitely an atypical experience – without a linear story or “moral,” but a constant experience, where the creator plays with the spaces and with the concept of anti-space and atemporality, that constantly transform themselves, bringing to light different scenarios, and provoking you with different emotions.
What captivated us about the experience was the fascinating multimodal exploration of different possibilities of expression – by how the space was altered by adding and juxtaposing different elements. The play of light and shadow offered potential transformations, while visual and auditory architectures were continuously explored and developed in an atemporal crescendo play. TechvangArt discussed with Director Craig Quintero about his vision for making the experiences, and the challenges he faced in curating and directing in VR, but also about his time in Taipei, his next project, and… with whom he would not want to be compared to 😀 Read the interview HERE
#4 Tulpamancer: Personalized XR Stories?
In an era that is heading rapidly toward ‘personalized-everything’ (ads, movies, medicine, finances, luxury products, etc.), why not have personalized stories? And this is what an experience presented at Venice Immersive 2023 is trying to do.
Tulpamancer is an immersive experience that is uniquely tailored to each user. It uses AI-tools such as ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion to generate unique immersive stories (both visuals and narration) for each participant, in the same main theme.
Fascinated by the idea behind Tulpamancer, TechvangArt talked with the creators Matthew Niederhauser and Marc da Costa about their vision for the future regarding stories using XR and AI, challenges in creating stories using AI, but also about memories, and what collective memories could be erased 😀 😀 Reade HERE
#5 Limbotopia – Wanderer Between Duality Inside Worlds
“Limbotopia” is an intriguing VR experience of a continuous journey between different worlds – sometimes utopic, but also dystopian, sometimes spiritual. An experience of “in-between”, where realities are intertwined, and the boundaries are blurred.
The music, the visuals, and the architectural elements create a captivating contradiction that somehow paradoxically harmonizes. The monochromatic, black and white, choice for aesthetics heightens the feeling of haziness.
As the viewer is moved continuously between worlds and emotional states, the curiosity is kept alive of what will come next, what will be the next world or element discovered. But, at the same time, the rhythm and pace of the experience, together with the musical elements used, maintains a calm and relaxed atmosphere.
Fascinated by this ingenious and original vision, TechvangArt talked with the director Wen-Yee Hsieh, about the experience, aesthetic choices that he made, contraction of the worlds… but also about his favourite element. Read the Interview HERE
