MONTREAL, Jan. 16, 2023 /CNW Telbec/ – As it prepares to enter its second year of operations, OASIS immersion, Canada’s largest immersive destination, presents transformé, a fascinating voyage rooted in real-life stories from which emerges the infinite power of courage and empathy. This 80-minute luminous and interactive walkthrough exhibition spans eight works originally designed for virtual reality headsets, then reformatted for the show, sometimes reinvented OASIS-style, into a collective public experience. As of January 19 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, visitors will be able to embark on a futuristic, moving, and even transforming journey.
Staged for the first time worldwide, the exhibition plunges visitors into the heart of the human experience by addressing contemporary issues like mental health, compassion, inequality, diversity and wonder, taking them on a personal and transfixing ride of sights and sounds. In designing the exhibition, which stars Marion Cotillard and Emmanuel Schwartz, among others, the creative and technical teams of OASIS immersion worked alongside some of the biggest international names in virtual reality.
A SPECTACULAR VISUAL AND AURAL JOURNEY
transformé invites you to see the world through the eyes of various protagonists, rewarding visitors with an uplifting perspective on some of the issues very much alive today.
“The transformé exhibition sprang from a desire to explore the idea of converging individual-based virtual reality immersion with our own Oasis brand of collective immersion, for the purpose of building a narrative around shifting our perspective to others’ point of view, so we may recognize how powerful a force courage and empathy are in our lives. More concretely, the transformé immersive walkthrough per se tells compelling stories, layered over rich visuals and sounds and spectacular installations, which we believe speak to our times,” explains Denys Lavigne, CEO and cofounder of OASIS immersion.
“Developing transformé was the fruit of a unique collaboration involving our creative and technical teams and a group of talented virtual reality artists. It was a painstaking process at the storytelling, technical and research levels through working with AI and creating the show’s soundscape. I’d like to thank everyone for their commitment and openness to exploring digital creation in bold new ways. To a certain extent, this show is a tribute to their work and the transformative power of immersion,” adds Julie Castonguay, Executive Producer at OASIS immersion.
The new immersive exhibition shepherds visitors through the venue’s three galleries, each with its own set of deeply experiential and emotional narratives:
PORTAL GALLERY / THE CHALLENGES THAT HELP US GROW
This opening gallery introduces visitors to the light at the end of adversity, through two very compelling stories:
On the Morning You Wake (To the End of the World)
France, UK, USA
Official Section: Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival
Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Arnaud Colinard and Pierre Zandrowicz / Atlas V / Astrea
Vestige
France, UK, USA
Best Immersive Work: Geneva International Film Festival
Aaron Bradbury / Astral V / Astrea
French-language narration: Marion Cotillard
TELEPORTER GALLERY / AT THE CROSSROADS OF PLACE
The second gallery is a trip from Cleveland to Tokyo, through Cape Town, and an exploration of the ties that bind them together.
Tokyo Light Odyssey
Japan
Webby Award
WOW inc.
Container
South Africa
Venice International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival
Simon Wood and Meghna Singh / SaltPeter Productions
Ferenj
Ethiopia, USA
Official Selection: Cleveland International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival
Special Jury Prize: NewImages
Ainslee Alem Robson
PANORAMA GALLERY / A RENEWED OUTLOOK EMERGES
The final gallery is a deep dive into fascinating worlds, where acceptance and gratitude thrive as agents of transformation.
Goliath
UK, France
VR Grand Jury Prize: 78th Venice Film Festival
Barry Gene Murphy / Floréal Films
French-language narration: Emmanuel Schwartz
Notes on Blindness
France, UK
Peabody Award XR Experience, Finalist SXSW Film Festival AR/VR Innovation Award
Arnaud Colinart, Amaury La Burthe, Peter Middleton et James Spinney / Atlas V / Astrea
Conscious Existence
Germany
Stereopsia Lumière Award Best VR Content, Animago Award Best AR/VR/360° Production
Marc Zimmermann / Diversion Cinema
Narration française : Lesly Velázquez
