French Embassy launches a series that explores art and XR to promote culture.
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, an organization focused on giving Americans opportunities to engage with French culture, have partnered with We Are Museums, Museum Connections, Pixii Festival, Kaleidoscope, and Fabbula to create a series of online meetups featuring key professionals from the XR and museum industries.
“The Lab: Making Sense of Immersion of 2021” looks to spark an open dialogue within the XR industry, especially among those who work with cultural institutions, to discuss the main challenges that still exist with XR and art.
The first session, “How to Foster Collaborations Between Immersive Creatives and Cultural Spaces?” was held back in November with Chloé Jarry, Co-founder, Lucid Realities (France) presenting The Water Lily Obsession, and Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of Digital Art at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Chief Curator / Director of the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center and Professor in the School of Media Studies at The New School (United States) speaking about Unexpected Growth: AR/VR as Artistic Medium
You can watch the replay of the first session here.
Even though you may have missed the first session, there are still two additional 30 minute sessions scheduled in December with the same intent; to create a safe space that explores ideas for the key experts of the VR and immersive industry who are working with cultural institutions. Their mission is to unpack and unlock the main challenges that are still faced by the XR community.
Like the first session, the sessions in December will be moderated by Darrah Dandurand, a creative director, exhibition curator, independent journalist and contributing writer for VRScout. The session will also include other XR experts from around the world weighing in with their own expertise. Of course, organizers would love it if you joined them to be part of the discussion. Each session is free to register!
Session 2, entitled “How to Distribute Immersive Artworks in a Museum,” is scheduled for December 1st at 10AM EST. Joining Dandurand will be:
- Mike Jones, Senior Producer, Marshmallow Laser Feast (United Kingdom).
- Myriam Achard, Director of public relations and communications, Centre Phi and DHC/ART Foundation for contemporary art (Montréal, Canada).
- Hannah Bellicha, Digital project manager, Institut français (Paris) – Catalogue “VR Immersive Experience.”
Register for free on Eventbrite.
Session 3 is entitled “Immersion for Culture Institutions: Which Technology for Which Need?” and will take place on December 7th at 10AM EST with:
- Camille Lopato, Co-founder, Diversion (France), a virtual reality spaces creator and immersive experiences distributor.
- Sandro Kereselidze, Founder and Art Director, Artechouse (New York, USA), an innovative digital art space dedicated to 21st century artists and audiences.
Like the first two sessions, this one is also free to register.
Each session will be followed up by workshops with professionals from museums, VR/AR companies, creative studios and artists, and—of course— you.
XR technology has changed the way we look at the world from a creative perspective; not just visually, but how we interact with the space around us. Through a VR headset we are able to step into a virtual realm where the innovative possibilities are limitless. Just look at the work of XR artists Rosie Summers, Anna Zhilyaeva, and Juliana Loh to see how they are using VR as a medium.
You can literally step into their artwork, explore, and lose yourself in each brushstroke. It maneuvers the conversation into a different direction as you dive deeper into each piece; while AR apps like Aidan Wolf’s Blue Sky Paint give us the power to transform the real world into a blank canvas where we can leave our own digital graffiti in the sky or around buildings for others to see. Your art is now part of the digital domain where it can only be unlocked through the use of AR technology.
Through meetups like these you are able to be part of the conversation and explore new pathways for XR technology. Art already provokes us to explore and ask questions. Bringing XR into the conversation supercharges that exploration.
You can learn more about the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and their series, “The Lab: Making Sense of Immersion of 2021,” here.
Image Credit: Cultural Services of the French Embassy
