Showcasing Co-Creation at the Venice International Film Festival
At the 76th Venice International Film Festival, the Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab will celebrate the festival launch of the Collective Wisdom series that we have been publishing here at Immerse with a panel and reception called Collective Wisdom on VR Island.
The panel will be moderated by Katerina Cizek, who authored the Collective Wisdom field study with William Uricchio. The discussion will explore the co-creative methods behind three projects from the Venice Virtual Reality program. Open to Industry pass-holders, it will take place on VR island in the Spazio Incontri and in the garden on Saturday August 31, from 11 am to 1 pm, to be followed by a reception in the garden.
The 76th Venice International Film Festival is organized by La Biennale di Venezia, and will take place at Venice Lido from August 28th to September 7th, 2019. In its fourth year, Venice VR Island is a program of 30 works of Virtual Reality, co-programmed by Liz Rosenthal of Power to the Pixel and Michel Reilhac of Submarine Channel.
“At Venice, we exhibit and celebrate state-of-the art work, but we also celebrate the state-of-the-art processes in which the work is made, says Rosenthal. “Collective Wisdom is much-needed field study that helps articulate these new ways of working in the fast moving form of VR and immersive.”
Featured projects
A Life in Flowers, co-created with Artificial Intelligence. Veteran virtual reality creator Armando Kirwin will speak about this 20-minute VR installation, powered by the participant’s own voice. The project combines Kirwin’s work with that of renowned botanical sculptor Azuma Makoto. In the experience, participants will enter a physical art installation and then be placed into virtual reality. Once inside the virtual environment, participants will explore the harmony between flowers and human life during a conversation with Azuma achieved using advanced artificial intelligence technology. As the conversation progresses, a unique bouquet of flowers will form based on each participant’s life.
Loveseat, co-created with live theater, social VR, and audiences. Loveseat is a romantic comedy about two ordinary people competing—reality show style—for the love of an armchair. Artist Kiira Benzing will speak about this new theater VR experience developed for Venice, performed simultaneously with virtual and real-world audiences.
The Key, co-created between artists and a non-profit organization. Celine Tricart will speak about this interactive experience, the winner of the 2019 Tribeca Storyscapes Award, which mixes immersive theater and virtual reality. It has a strong narrative structure punctuated by moments of interactivity. The participant goes on a journey exploring dreams, and must face challenges and difficult decisions in each, experiencing loss. The participant will experience a metaphorical journey from danger to safety. Through this journey a hidden truth is uncovered, and a new beauty revealed.
This article is part of Collective Wisdom, an Immerse series created in collaboration with Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab. Immerse’s series features excerpts from MIT Open Documentary Lab’s larger field study — Collective Wisdom: Co-Creating Media within Communities, across Disciplines and with Algorithms — as well as bonus interviews and exclusive content.
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