Our living spaces are not only places of refuge and comfort, they also serve as archives of our stories and our most precious memories. The Smallest of Worlds is an immersive virtual reality archive; a time capsule on a global scale, with the goal of creating a collective memory of the most personal and intimate places and moments that helped us cope with the period of quarantine and isolation. Created with the German artist and set designer Bettina Katja Lange and the Austrian architect and researcher Uwe Brunner, this piece merges more than three hundred videos sent from all over the world. The outcome is a collaborative document that moves away from the original videos through its deformation of the colour, texture and proportion of images.
Joan Soler-Adillon is a Catalan artist and associate professor at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). His research and practice revolve around digital interactive media and its representation in digital art, particularly interactive installation, interactive storytelling and documentary, and virtual reality. From a full-body interactive game on an inflatable slide to a VR-based experimental documentary, he has participated in a myriad of projects with a focus on both behaviour design and interactivity, and on fostering the audience collaboration and participation.
Les Ailleurs offers, along with artists, authors and theorists who explore the mentioned new media, an encounter dedicated to immersive experiences. With the goal of increasing their perceptions, immersing themselves in sound landscapes and embodying new narratives, from April 6th to July 11th 2021 the audience will discover a selection of the best immersive and multisensory experiences in the world in a new space dedicated to immersive writing.
Les Ailleurs articulates a selection of works in virtual reality, interactive projections and spatialized sound works around three routes. The first one, Voyages sauvages, is an invitation to symbiotic journeys in non-human worlds. The second one, Transports intimes, takes the audience into the multiple territories of the self and includes the piece The Smallest of Worlds. Lastly, the route Dimensions parallèles, invites to get lost in the virtual world to better find oneself on the way back. Performances, creative workshops for young audiences, conferences and master classes will complete the routes, highlighting the richness and fascinating diversity of creative practices around immersive mediums.
Joan Soler-Adillon, Bettina Katja Lange and Uwe Brunner
2021 / 20’
Les Ailleurs festival
From April 6th to July 11th
