VR_I

Blending art with technology, Gilles Jobin in collaboration with Artanim developed VR_I, a work in which the creator questions our perception of reality and enters new unexplored and unchartered territories for contemporary dance. Thanks to the virtual reality (VR) technology developed by Artanim, VR_I viewers equipped with VR headsets and backpack computers move freely in a total virtual space.

Five viewers at a time may explore this world, moving in turn in an endless desert, an urban landscape or inside a loft at the top of a mountain. Participants each embody an avatar that faithfully replicates their movements, enhancing the feeling of immersion in the virtual world while also enabling them to see their peers. During the experience, participants can thus interact physically and even communicate with the others. Five virtual dancers then come to blur their perception, multiplying, growing to the point of becoming giants or becoming tiny. With these effects of scale, Gilles Jobin addresses the concept of spatiality in a truly original way.

VR_I was selected at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and received, among others, the Grand Prix Innovation and the Audience Award for best performance at the 49th edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal. VR_I was on tour around the globe from 2017-2020.

More information on the VR technology here.