Some of the best VR and AR experiences in the arts

Resources > Some of the best VR and AR experiences in the arts

Audiences now want a different experience

Audiences now want more than ever.  Agency. Interaction. Immersion. The way we consume culture is changing and audiences now have a real curiosity for experiences designed to immerse you into the story, give you agency and allow you to interact and make meaningful decisions. No longer do we just want to hear a story, we want to embody the character, fall down the rabbit hole into a storyworld and experience things differently.

 

Here are some of the best:

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats VR experience about rave culture in the West Midlands by East City Films commissioned by Coventry City of Culture. Using a combination of CGI and archive footage, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats takes you on a multi-sensory joyride into the past. Grab your friends and go in search of an illegal rave set over one night in Coventry in 1989.

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Two images of people using VR Headsets. On the left image a person wears a stripy jumper, a white VR headset and their arms are raised. They wear a glow stick bracelet on their left wrist. The right hand image shows a person standing in front of a picture of an eye. They wear a white VR headset. The lighting is dark in each image.
Black and white image of the face of a dark skinned woman. The top and side of her face are obscured by white dots and stripes. Text reads 'Consensus Gentium'

Consensus Gentium

Conscensus Gentium by Karen Palmer is an emotionally responsive film designed to be experienced on a mobile phone. Set in a future of surveillance and bias AI, the film watches you back, then the narrative branches in real time depending on your gaze. It’s a clever interactive storytelling experience that watches you back using facial recognition software and AI, that charts the story of you as the main character who has to visit your sick Grandma and cross a dystopian city where the Government sees you either as a compliant or dissident citizen.

UK Premiere 28th -30th March at The Roundhouse.

 

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Dream Machine

Explore the extraordinary potential of your mind through Dreamachine. This once-in-a-lifetime journey into light, sound and colour is a unique new way to disconnect from everyday life – and reconnect with both yourself and others.

Dreamachine is inspired by a 1959 invention by artist Brion Gysin, which used flickering light to create vivid illusions, patterns and explosions of colour in the mind of the viewer.

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Abstract drawing featuring white and pink concentric circles and a green cloud.
One person stands and is silhouetted against a light blue wall. Another person lies on the floor next to them. The standing person wears a VR headset.

Surge

Surge by Megaverse is an immersive performance which brings to life our lost connection with water, the world’s most threatened resource. Megaverse invites you to shift perspectives between the physical and digital worlds in this multi-dimensional installation. Featuring music by Anna Meredith, spoken word poetry by Vanessa Kisuule, and a live performance by The PappyShow, SURGE is a clarion call to ecological action.

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HOME – X

HOME X from Kakilang (formerly Chinese Arts Now) is a cutting-edge production, combining theatre, music, gaming, and VR technology. This innovative live & digital performance was created in collaboration with technologists and artists in London and Hong Kong that tells the stories of home and belonging.

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A dark image with light silhouettes of people wearing VR headsets. Text reads 'Home X'
Computer generated image of a man wearing a hat. We look upwards from his chest to see his head and shoulders.

GOLIATH

GOLIATH:PLAYING WITH REALITY is a 25-minute animated VR experience about schizophrenia, gaming and connection from Anagram.

Through mind-bending animation, award-winning GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY explores the limits of reality in this true story of so-called ‘schizophrenia’ and the power of gaming communities.

Echo (narrated by Tilda Swinton) guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years isolated in psychiatric institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heart-felt dialogue, mesmerising visuals and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath’s poignant story.

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