Extended reality takes visitors from the ruins of West Bank to 17th-century Amsterdam at Venice Immersive
From frivolous to serious, virtual nosy passersby to the impact of climate change, the groundbreaking festival draws to a close – but this year the exhibits live on The first installation one encounters on visiting Venice Immersive, the film festival’s reliably head-spinning showcase for new media, is a chest-high metal box fitted with an eyepiece and two speakers. On peering inside you see a…
As visitors crossed the threshold into Venice Immersive, the immersive film festival's showcase for cutting-edge media, they were greeted by an installation that immediately captivated their attention. A towering metal box, fitted with an eyepiece and two speakers, loomed before them. Upon peering inside, they found themselves gazing down upon an assortment of fellow attendees, pigeons scurrying about below.
Any passerby who lingered too long at their side prompted an instinctive glance upward, revealing that the individual was a fabricated entity, existing solely within the confines of the box.
This particular character donned a blue suit, spoke with a thick French accent, and regaled the visitors with a tale that would not sit well with polite company. The onlooker questioned the purpose of gazing into the box, challenging the notion of what constituted reality. "Why do people keep looking inside this box? What is it they hope to see? It is not reality," the figure asserted.
The installation, which marked the opening experience for attendees at the festival, set the tone for the rest of the event. As the festival progressed, visitors delved into a diverse array of exhibits, each one delving deeper into the realms of extended reality. From whimsical virtual passersby to the sobering implications of climate change, the festival pushed the boundaries of what could be experienced through immersive technology.
At the close of Venice Immersive, the groundbreaking exhibits remained accessible, allowing the festival's impact to continue beyond the closing ceremony.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
