Exploring the fragile nature of life and the comfort of human connection, the audience is taken from childhood through to old age, looking into the nature of touch as it is experienced by an infant, adult and a person in palliative care. Using embodiment in virtual reality and the ritual of the mundane everyday task of getting ready for bed, the participants are taken through human life cycles, highlighting how our experiences change the way we interact, at a sensory level, with the world.
WITHIN TOUCHING DISTANCE is a one-on-one live performance that combines human touch, spatial audio, VR synchronisation and is part of a larger research project exploring the role of XR and human touch in digital mental health therapies.
The project, led by ZU-UK in collaboration with Liverpool Cares, the Centre for Creative Futures and GLASC (Learning & Simulation Centre) at the University of Greenwich, won one of the first ever Inclusive Innovation Award 2023 by Innovate UK, has received a special mention by the Jury of the International Alternate Realities Competition at Sheffield DocFest 2023, received the Unlimited International Partner Awards (British Council), and was recently presented at the “Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology: Infrastructure Roundtable” to discuss the potential of arts research to provide crossover benefits to the UK economy and in healthcare.
Overview
- Category: Immersive virtual reality
- Purpose of the experience: Mixing real life with virtual reality in a synchronised one-on-one experience with headset an performer, the London premiere a new immersive show exploring touch
- Will there be a physical touch between the recipient and the creator? : Yes
- Pick an emotion(s): Ecstasy, Interest, Joy
- Location of the experience: Venue
- Risks involved: VR risks
- Who should avoid it? Under 18? Pregnant? Allergies and phobias? : This performance involves lying on a bed and physical touch, and there will be an opportunity to discuss any concerns with the front of house team on arrival. This performance also involves wearing a VR headset.
- Should the recipient source medical advice prior to this experience? : No
- Do you offer medical advice for this experience? : No
- Your bio and contact: ZU-UK is an established multi award-winning theatre and digital arts company. ZU-UK is based in Stratford, East London and Liverpool and led by immigrant working-class artists Persis Jadé Maravala, who was the sole recipient of the inaugural ABTT Stephen Joseph award in 2021, and Jorge Lopes Ramos. ZU-UK believes in the need for shared rituals, new narratives & experiences that empower those most vulnerable to experience and make excellent art. ZU-UK creates interactive experiences using games, performance, and technology. They can happen anywhere including on your phone, in your house, on a stage, in a shopping mall or a field. Previous projects include the serious game Radio Ghost (winner of the Lumen Prize 2022), the post-immersive dating experience Binaural Dinner Date, interactive audio experience Pick Me Up (& hold me tight) in response to the rise in suicides, #RioFoneHack at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and Project Perfect Stranger & Plague Round.
- How do you take payments?: book online
- Location: London
- Your website
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