August 29, 2022 – MUTEK, an electronic music and digital arts festival, recently showcased an immersive collection as it launched into the world of extended reality (XR) as a content producer at MUTEK Festival in Montréal last week.
The Immersive Collection, which is currently available on Steam as wishlist items, explores the transformation of the work of 5 artists that have previously performed at the festival into extended reality formats as an entirely new genre of audiovisual XR works. The resulting set of three original XR projects include:
Entanglement XR – France Jobin & Markus Heckmann
View on Steam
Entanglement distills quantum physics theories in a sensorial experience, illustrating the concept of entanglement. The piece oscillates between four theories: the fluidity of time, multiverse, Copenhagen interpretation and decoherence. These complex notions are filtered into radiant tableaus guided by science, technology, and sensitivity to illustrate what cannot be visualized. France Jobin is an audio and installation artist, composer and curator. Markus Heckmann is a visual artist and Technical Director at Derivative, the maker of TouchDesigner
House of Moiré – Chloe Alexandra Thompson & Matthew Edwards
View on Steam
House of Moiré invites users into a void-like realm of transforming audiovisual architecture. In self-directed exploration, the viewer advances through rooms dressed in optical patterns, audio-visual programming, and minimalist spatial design. The result is an odd and inquisitive trip for this latest iteration of Moiré, a series of A/V works investigating psycho-acoustics and sensory illusion through, among others, custom audio software and interactive design. Chloe Alexandra Thompson and Matthew Edwards are interdisciplinary artists and collaborators. Chloe is a composer and sound designer; Matthew blends installation art, performance and virtual reality (VR).
Immortelle – Line Katcho
View on Steam
Immortelle is an atmospheric and figurative work illustrating the flights and falls of psychological endurance. The viewer travels through different scenes and seasons, paves through evocative empty structures, wades through waves and mountain peaks, encounters a presence in a vacuum, and more. Line Katcho is a composer and audiovisual artist interested in sound and image to demonstrate kinetic movement and matter, leaving the viewer charged yet liberated.
The Immersive Collection, produced by MUTEK, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, will join the catalog of Astrea, an international distributor of immersive productions, alongside XR works premiered at Cannes XR, Venice VR Expanded, Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca (BattleScar, Spheres, Madrid Noir, Gloomy Eyes…).
In addition to the launch of its XR Artworks, MUTEK also released an independent XR Study. The ‘Crafting a Market for Independent XR’ report taps into the minds of producers, distributors and curators from across the XR industry to share learnings around the challenges and opportunities for distribution, circulation and discoverability of XR content.
Contributors to the report include Venice VR co-curator Liz Rosenthal, Atlas V producer and cofounder Antoine Cayrol, Diversion Cinema’s Head of XR Sales and Acquisitions Paul Bouchard, and Executive Producer at Marshmallow Laser Feast Eleanor (Nell) Whitley- among many more industry leaders defining the future of XR.
The report covers:
- Deals and standards for LBVR;
- A case study on Diversion Cinema, Venice VR Expanded, Atlas V and Astrea, and Marshmallow Laser Feast;
- Guidelines for circulation and distribution of content;
- Emerging trends;
- Near and far future opportunities;
- Monetizing curation through partnerships, among other topics.
MUTEK noted that the report is an initiative of Québec/Canada XR, in partnership with MUTEK, Québec, PHI, Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC), and Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM). The project was made possible by the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the City of Montreal as part of its cultural funding agreement with the Government of Quebec.
For more information on MUTEK and the XR works that it showcases through its namesake festival, please visit the organization’s website.
Image / video credit: MUTEK / Steam / YouTube
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.