Looking at the world around us

Looking at the world around us　

To see a child grow up is also to let him go a little. At a time when headsets are coming of age technologically - and a major new competitor is due to arrive next year - 360 experiences and videos are the winners in this new life cycle of virtual (and mixed, and augmented...) reality. How can we fail to envision a future built around our favourite immersive stories? In this respect, the Kaohsiung Film Festival 2023 XR Dreamland’ selection reflects an extremely dynamic year, in which VR creators are no longer afraid to seize the medium to report on the state of the world... and go a little further into our dreams and imaginations.
 
Initially, it's the reality of the world that comes to mind. The production maturity of 360 films, the technological ability to capture the "real thing" and place the viewer face to face with events, cannot escape virtual reality. It's almost by nature that we're re-discovering contemporary tragedies in a way we can't see on the news (YOU DESTROY. WE CREATE by Felix Gaedtke and Gayatri Parameswaran, FRESH MEMORIES: THE LOOK by Ondřej Moravec and Volodomyr Kolbasa). This first-degree look is inherent to 360, and helps us to better understand what's going on. After all, it's this ability to capture the real that has made virtual reality the ideal witness to our society.
 
But realism can be "heightened" by immersion, and provoke a necessary step back to reflect on the past. STAY ALIVE, MY SON by Victoria Bousis is a brilliant example of this, as well as TOM HOUSE THE VR EXPERIENCE by Márton Jelinkó and Carlos Marroquin, or DARKENING by Ondřej Moravec in a more personal tone. MISSING 10 HOURS VR by Fanni Fazakas questions our own ability to change the course of events while they’re happening. Even more innovative, COLORED by Stéphane Foenkinos and Pierre-Alain Giraud is a mixed-reality set up that questions our ability to delve into the cracks in our society – and remember it for future generations. Most of the time, witnessing history is taking part of it. Being part of these stories is something you won’t forget.
 
In the realm of cultural exploration, IN PURSUIT OF REPETITIVE BEATS (Darren Emerson) is also a formidable testimony to a bygone era, but an unprecedented plunge - bodily and sensory - into the England of the Thatcher years. Let’s be punk. We could also choose to discover the beauties of the world through GAUDI - THE ATELIER OF THE DIVINE by Stephane Landowski and Gael Cabouat, an experience to be enjoyed by many, following in the footsteps of the Catalan architect who has adorned Barcelona with several monuments. Two powerful uses of the location-based and collective possibilities of virtual experiences, that will send you back in time for sure.

And the trend towards public, shared and interactive use of immersive experiences is growing worldwide. Is it still possible to believe that narrative content has an online life outside video games? It takes the experience of events such as festivals, or certain cultural venues, to cultivate the appeal of such artistic practices for the general public. This can be seen in the renewed attempts to bring virtual reality into the heart of cinemas - in the UK and the Netherlands, for example. The uniqueness of VR FILM LAB, one of the first places in the world to present artistic virtual reality content, is certainly worth noting. In this ongoing effort by Taiwan to be at the forefront of XR, the availability of the Kaohsiung Music Center (Coral Zone) to multiply the dissemination and visibility efforts of creators is highly encouraging. The coming year will confirm this trend which, in years of recovery from the health crisis, reinforces the idea of a public keen on social experimentation.
 
Put your trust in Taiwan-based director Craig Quintero, whose minimalist, David Lynch-style worlds are perfectly suited to the VR medium in ALL THAT REMAINS, keeping tracks with his theatrical creations (yes, even for one person). Finally, we can't conclude this evocation of the documentary potential of virtual reality without inviting you to travel the world's cuisines with the triptych BEHIND THE DISH by Emmy-nominated director Chloe Rochereuil, as tasty as it is skillfully cooked. Whether tragic or benevolent, this immersive testimony to our reality is available in as many formats as there are stories to tell. One piece of advice is, don’t travel on an empty stomach!
 
But VR is also, and above all, an escape. This is exactly the story behind JAILBIRDS (Thomas Villepoux), where the hero chooses to go far away from reality through his own imagination... and art. Choose to climb mountains with the help of giants (ASCENDERS from BackLight), take part in an online colourful treasure hunt (GUMBALL DREAMS from the Ferryman Collective), follow the wind as it goes (FLOW by Adriaan Lokman), transform an egg into an augmented reality Super Mario (EGGSCAPE from Argentinian studio 3dar): there are as many proposals as there are immersions. And as many universes as artists can draw, such as KABARET (Gina Thorstensen) and its journey into space and time to explore coral’s reproduction, or MIRROR (Golden Horse Award winner Wu De-Chuen) and its game of characters changing seats.

With that idea in mind, we can choose to plunge further into the dark science-fiction universe designed by Wen-Yee Hsieh in LIMBOPHOBIA, the second episode of his Blade Runner-style phantasmagorical journey in black and white. We can also face the questions of our time with CONSENSUS GENTIUM by Karen Palmer, where artificial intelligence takes over your body and mind - or Seeyam Quine’s KRISTINE IS NOT WELL where we ask the question about algorithms. Why not imagine a totally immersive future? Ching-Ya Wang’s VIRTUAL KISS (by Wang Ching-Ya, 2022 Kaohsiung VR Film LAB award) is a romantic dystopia about the possible impact of these technologies on romantic relationships. Or should you choose to dance with FREE YOUR HEAD by Chou Tung-Yen, a Venice Immersive 2023 nominee?

It's our imaginary world that creates this dual reality, both inside and outside our headsets. How can we continue to believe in virtual reality? It is shaping a new way of telling stories, but also new possibilities for innovating in our relationship with the public. The current maturity of the medium means that, after a decade of research, mainstream immersive art has found its place. And yes, of course, this means preserving a place of experimentation (or exoticism) for all forms of visual art - and sometimes transcending the medium itself. DORA EP. 1 by Chen Yi-Jung is one of those new documentary films that imposes an innovative style and infinite exploration. French collective Neon Minuit’s BEYOND MIDNIGHT renews the relationship between authors and their audience, using a gentle interactivity. And you can hear it! MY INNER EAR QUARTER by Yamaura Kodji (Annecy winner) follows a young boy’s inner life punctuated by the sound of music, and SQUARE CIRCLES closes the loop between immersion and music - reinventing our visual imagination to the tune of William Barton and his bandmates.

Somewhere between cinema and theatre, digital art and video games, virtual reality has reinvented itself to become a format in its own right - and is winning over an ever-growing audience. All this is only just beginning, and should soon draw a growing audience to the shores of virtual lands yet to be conquered. This year's XR Dreamland selection reflects an industry in the making, a global community of creators fascinating in its solidarity and inventiveness.
 
The final bouquet of this demonstration can be embodied in the new immersive experience by maestro Hsin-Chien Huang, one of the most prolific contemporary authors of digital art. His collaboration with the legendary French musical artist Jean-Michel Jarre, THE EYE AND I, is a true reflection on the state of the world, with a real sense of immersive exploration. If you're going to question content, you might as well do it with form. And a bit of music...