NY 2019
Coming from California, I’m often asked if I miss the West Coast, or why I’ve chosen this colder climate. While there’s much to love about my home state, I’ve never been as inspired as I am here. The concentration of diverse talent, hustle and style of this city is electric. On the weekends I love to spend time taking the subway to new openings and events, below is a recap of some of the things I saw last year. I’ve included the gallery & artists names in the hopes that you might be able to experience them, or something similar in 2021.
Artists:
Daniel Rozin - Birforms Gallery
I love this artists work. I found this exhibit specifically powerful as it drew you in to examine your role in the climate we inhabit. The video below provides further insights into the work Daniel creates, I hope you enjoy.
Samuelle Green - 601 Artspace
I really enjoyed exploring this space and the clever use of recycled paper.
Oscar Oiwa - Cadillac House
I loved the immersive nature of this work and I’m excited to see what experiences are created using vinyl balloons as an art structures in the future. I hope to explore this type of work further by experiencing Architects Of Air in 2021.
Shih Chieh Huang - Feldman Gallery
This exhibit was mesmerizing and had me contemplating how it could work with an installation similar to Arcadia Earth.
Spheres - Rockefeller Center
I am so inspired by Jess Engel. I first had the opportunity to meet her while volunteering as a docent showcasing Spheres at Pioneer Works. This was a great opportunity to learn first hand the importance of storytelling, while onboarding and off-boarding a participant from a VR experience. If you have an Oculus Quest, I hope you get a chance to experience this incredible piece soon.
Apple [AR]T - Central Park
This was a great opportunity to experience world renowned artists exploring Augmented Reality. If you have a chance I really recommend watching the documentary on Apple TV.
Events:
Future of Storytelling: Story Arcade
The exhibit contained a wealth of incredible experiences, but Chained: A Victorian Nightmare was the breakout for me as it was the first time I experienced this blend of the physical and virtual worlds. I hope to experience something similar next year in Denver.
Tribeca: Virtual Arcade:
This was a great opportunity to explore the best immersive experiences available. If you are a producer attending, I recommend browsing the list of experiences and emailing the creative teams directly to arrange a viewing as it can be extremely difficult to compete for a spot in person. Here are the experiences I enjoyed in 2019.
War Remains:
After experiencing Chained, I was thrilled to explore another blended project. War Remains was like stepping into the Call of Duty franchise, but with a heavier emphasis on the emotional and mental toll soldiers suffer.
Magic Leap: Game of Thrones:
Unlike War Remains, this experience was a demo blending an augmented experiences with the physical world. While it wasn’t the most impressive project it did get me thinking about what we might see in the future.
Into The Light:
While much is made of VR and AR, I agree with Jesse Brillhart that the potential in audio is currently overlooked. Her experience uses spacial audio powered by the Traverse app to immerse you in the Bach Cello Suites. I really recommend watching this video to learn about the technology and Jesse’s view on it’s potential. Apple has recognized the future of this and I think we are likely to see interesting applications of it in the future.
Traitor:
This experience was really fun and taught me a ton about collaborative digital experiences of the future.
Collider:
This experience was also collaborative, but much more profound. I really recommend watching this video to learn more about the project and the creator.
Where There’s Smoke:
Ever since experiencing this project, I’ve been fascinated by Lance Weiler’s work. The meditative journey paired with the immersive set was incredible.
Key:
This is perhaps the best VR film I’ve experienced. I really encourage checking it out on the Quest if you have a chance, it really highlights the future of the medium as a tool for greater empathy.
Wolves In The Wall:
This didn’t have the emotional impact of Key, but it did showcase the future of digital characters and interactive stories. I recommend viewing the below video to learn more about the project.
Lastly, I wanted to share this piece by Jeremy O. Harris. While the cities future post pandemic is a subject of speculation, there’s no debating its resilient DNA. I’m hopeful for this cities future and excited to learn from the artists and innovators pushing through this challenging year.
