Art & Virtual Reality at Kiasma
Kiasma debuts VR film, Ego Cure by Aalto's Synes Elischka.
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Ego Cure, directed by Synes Elischka, is a narrative virtual reality short film that unconventionally mixes together a new technical approach of film storytelling, CGI animation and interaction between the viewer and the art piece -stretching the limits of filmmaking.
In this VR experience you – the viewer – are a part of the struggle of a contemporary dance choreographer to create a contemporary masterpiece – at odds with a handful of disinterested dancers, her unpleasant producer and the otherworldly curator – while at the same time facing her own inner demons. The movie is set in a world where the commodification of art has come to its technological conclusion: if an artist is unable or unwilling to provide a commissioned art piece, the investor has the right to extract it from their unconscious mind – using the EGO CURE device
Says Elischka, “Having been part of a contemporary dance collective since 2009 (originally as a filmmaker/media-artist but pretty soon pushed to perform alongside professional dancers) a lot of the things happening in the script are based on my own experiences and observations.
My strong commitment to the production stems from these experiences but also from my love for the non-dogmatic way of creation that is often found in contemporary dance productions, which stands in harsh contrast to the structured approach of film production. It makes the creative struggle more visible and makes it easier for viewers to empathise with the characters, even without any prior knowledge of the subject matter.”
Ego Cure is Aalto University's Department of Film, Television and Scenography co-production with Oblomovies.
The film is part of a research project to study the mechanics of virtual reality in filmmaking, creating tools for high quality Cinematic VR. The film utilizes the Enactive Avatar, a technology creating a living, reactive photorealistic CGI character based on a real-life person.
More online: Kiasma