The British Council and Espacio Telefónica join forces to create the first festival of multiple realities (virtual, augmented, extended) in Spain. This new rendez-vous aims to promote the extraordinary bustle of this sector that already exceeds the limits of the video game to offer new ways of describing and living the world that surrounds us. The creative dynamism of Spanish and British studies allows us to approach these new narratives with exceptional pieces. Prior to the celebration of the festival in January 2019, the XR Fest will heat engines with four appetizers or snacks that will allow discovering immersive experiences produced in the United Kingdom and Spain around the performing arts, fashion, music and documentaries; and selected by Catherine Allen, director of Limina, leading organization in the virtual reality sector in the United Kingdom.
The first snack #XRescena is dedicated to the performing arts sector coinciding with the exhibition at Espacio Telefónica, The Dancer of the future. #XREscena showcases seven productions that enabled a new approach of the stages to the screens thanks to prestigious collaborators such as the English National Ballet of Tamara Rojo, the National Theater with Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), RTVE Lab, the Guardian and many more.
Genre: Ballet (contemporary)
Giselle VR (2 min.) And Giselle VR Behind The Scenes (3 min.) (2016)
English National Ballet / Sky VR / Factory 42
The new choreography by Akram Khan of the masterpiece Giselle for the English National Ballet of London has marked a milestone in the dance sector in the United Kingdom. Today, thanks to the innovative audiovisual production of the Sky studio, the public can follow the three-dimensional paths of light and dust of this ballet thanks to ENB’s artistic director, the acclaimed Tamara Rojo.
Genre: Theater (musical)
Fabulous wonder.land VR (4 min.) (2016)
National Theater / 59 Productions / Play Nicely
Music by Damon Albarn
Who has not dreamed of living the experience of Alicia entering wonderland? The National Theater with 59 Productions and Play Nicely invite the public to follow the trail of Lewis Carroll's white rabbit and discover the unique soundscape created by Damon Albarn (the leader of the British bands Blur and Gorillaz) with the lyrics of Moira Buffini. Selected for the Sundance festival, the Fabulous wonder.land experience is a clear example of how theatre and the new virtual reality’s tools have the potential to offer the public a new perspective on art.
Genre: Theatre (Spoken Word)
Empire Soldiers (7 min.) (2017)
Metro Boulot Dodo
In this experience that combines history, performance and Spoken Word, the reggae composer Madu Messenger (AKA Karl Arthur) reveals the little-known story of the Caribbean soldiers who fought for the British Empire during the First World War. This piece of virtual reality from Metro Boulot Dodo studio transports the audience from the trenches to our present, to reflect on the legacy of colonialism and the situation of the Afro-Caribbean population in the United Kingdom today.
Genre: opera
Magic Butterfly (5 min) (2017
Welsh National Opera / Rewind
In their research to bring the opera to a wider audience, the Welsh National Opera together with Rewind studio set out to transform one of the most iconic works of the opera repertoire, Madama Butterfly, into an interactive and immersive experience. Winner of multiple awards (VR Expo 2018, Be Connected Awards), this piece allows to immerse yourself in a cloud of butterflies and get involved in Puccini's music as never before.
Genre: Contemporary dance
Celestial Motion (8 min.) (2018)
The Guardian / Alexander Whitley Dance Company
Inspired by the spectacular images of solar physics, the piece Celestial Motion created by The Guardian in collaboration with the dance company Alexander Whitley combines dance with the movement of the stars. This experience allows the public to switch between the abstract landscape of the planets and the bodies of the dancers in a composition created by the BAFTA-award winning video designer and director Tal Rosner and the composer Daniel Wohl. Celestial Motion is the adaptation of Whitley’s original work, 8 Minutes, premiered at Sadler's Wells in 2017. Whitley collaborated with physicists of STFC RAL Space to develop this universe based on research data from solar research.
On May 30, we’ll celebrate a special event, XR Date, in order to presente #XRescena with the participation of Catherine Allen from Limina and curator of the XR Fest for the British Council; and of Esther Pérez-Amat, member of the Innovation Laboratory of RTVE.es
Reserve your ticket for the #XREscena British Council / Espacio Telefónica between May 30th and June 10th here
Reserve your ticket for the XR Date of May 30th here