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| The Book of Distance |
The New Frontier at Sundance 2020, currently underway in the second week has some very visually interesting and diverse immersive VR/AR
experiences.
Two installations that particularly stood out to me – The Book
of Distance and Still Here, had racial discrimination as the central focus of
their narratives. Although both the immersive pieces are period-centric, highlighting racial
prejudice, it is still as relevant in 2020, where people of color still face a not-so-subtle micro-aggression.
The Book of Distance is about Yonezo Okita who in 1935 left his home in Hiroshima, Japan, and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed
everything—he became the enemy. Three generations later, his grandson, artist
and writer/director Randall Okita leads us on an interactive virtual
pilgrimage through emotional geography of immigration and family to recover
what was lost.
The Book of Distance blends techniques from mechanical
sculpture, film, and stage to redefine personal storytelling in virtual
reality. Family archives add a haunting layer of realism. 2D and 3D
hand-crafted sets reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints, evocative character
design and seamless choreography combine with surprising moments of
interaction to gently whisk us across the ocean and through the years.
Randall Okita
is a masterful storyteller and artist, his talent reflected through the brilliant
visual effects and animation. The viewer becomes a participating character and
before you know it, you become emotionally invested and involved in Yonezo’s journey
and the racism he faces during his life in Canada. Together we reimagine a
significant moment in history and take part in a very personal journey of loss
and recovery.
Okita's passion to tell his grandfather's story is still active and alive as he explains why he made this interactive experience: "The Book
of Distance is
my attempt to recover all those things my grandfather didn’t say—including
certain moments that may have been too painful for him to remember. I wanted to
reimagine what he lived through, to recreate an experience that allows others
to participate and to bear witness."
Still Here
The
visceral experiences of over twelve formerly incarcerated women who have
re-entered society
are at the core of Still Here, which
was conceived as an interactive audio, VR/AR experience
by Al Jazeera Contrast head and lead creator Zahra Rasool and journalist Sarah Springer
along with a team of creatives from the New York City community. Told
cinematically and through the lens of a fictional character named Jasmine
Smith, who returns to Harlem after 15 years in prison, the narrative is crafted
together with women who have spent time in prison and are part of Women’s
Prison Association (WPA). Still Here represents a pioneering transmedia
approach to storytelling and signifies a new direction in collaborative and
community-centered, immersive journalism.
Rasool, an emerging force in immersive journalism, commented, “Providing direct access to personal stories and voices that matter is at the heart of our mission, and we are thrilled that the Sundance Film Festival recognizes the importance of inclusion and the necessity to democratize the creative process and push the boundaries of traditional narratives.”
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