When it came to online virtual presentations in 2020 one of the best was Venice VR Expanded, part of the annual Venice International Film Festival. Now in its 78th edition, the prestigious film event returns in September in both physical and virtual form, with the virtual reality (VR) showcase once again being held within the social app VRChat.
This year Venice VR Expanded will feature a total of 37 immersive projects from 21 countries, with guests able to preview the official selection through VRChat. If you’re an accredited guest you’ll also be invited to “Meet the Creator” sessions, opening and closing parties, and other performances. Just like the 2020 edition, the Venice VR virtual world has been designed with the technical support of VRrOOm with a virtual version of Venice and the in-real-life VR Island Lazzaretto Vecchio.
New for 2021 is the Venice VRChat Worlds Gallery. This will have a selection of 35 virtual worlds “celebrating the creativity of creators using VRChat as a platform to build their own fantasy worlds.” As an additional extra, there will be five special events, including live performances, taking place across five VRChat virtual venues.
Venice VR Expanded is split into several categories, not all of which are available online. The “Competition” category has 23 projects, “Out of Competition – Best Of” is a selection of 12 VR works launched since the 2020 event; one “Out of Competition Special Event”, “Biennale College Cinema – Out of Competition” (one project), and then the VRChat Worlds Gallery. The special event and out of competition categories won’t be available online. Everything else will be, in partnership with HTC’s Viveport and Oculus.
As for what’s on show during Venice VR Expanded 2021:
- VRChat Worlds Gallery
- A MAZE․ TRAIN STATION
- AQUARIUS
- ATLANTIS˸ SUPERRARE EXHIBITION
- CLUB GUMBALL
- CRAFTY CLIMB
- ERS
- CRYPT OF THE SPIRITS
- CRYSTAL DUNES
- CYCLE OF LIFE
- DEEP BLUE NIGHT
- EDEN
- FFCR
- FRANK
- GUMBALL LOUNGE
- KARAOKE CENTRA
- LAST HOPE WATCH TOWER
- LOST IT
- MIRЯIM
- MONORAIL COASTER
- MONORAIL COASTER LITE
- MOSCOW TRIP 1952
- MUSEUM-OF-VRPAINTING
- NOIR – CALL OF THE VOID (SPOOKALITY RELEASE｜TECH DEMO)
- RAAWRS’ ELNO-THEL FOREST
- SAPIENSTRUCT
- SUBMERGE 2
- SURREAL HAZARD
- SXSW XR 2021
- THE DEVOURING
- THE EDGE
- THE FORT
- THE HALLWYL MUSEUM
- THE JUNKYARDǃ
- TREEHOUSE IN THE SHADE
- UNCANNY ALLEY
- WORLD.EXECUTE (ME)
- VRChat Worlds Gallery – Special Events
- BRAINDANCE
- JEAN MICHEL JARRE CONCERT
- M.A.S.S.
- MYCELIA
- SHELTER
- In Competition
- ENGELEN VAN AMSTERDAM (ANGELS IN AMSTERDAM)
- END OF NIGHT
- LA PLAGE DE SABLE ÉTOILÉ (THE STARRY SAND BEACH)
- CAVES
- BEDLAM
- GENESIS
- SPIRIT OF PLACE
- TEARLESS
- LUN HUI (SAMSARA) COMPLETE PART 1 AND 2 VERSION
- CLAP
- LE BAL DE PARIS DE BLANCA LI
- BLISS IN THE EAR OF A STORM
- IL DUBBIO – EPISODE 2
- ANANDALA
- GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY
- MONTEGELATO
- THE SEVERANCE THEORY: WELCOME TO RESPITE
- CONTAINER
- BING MEI GUEI (THE SICK ROSE)
- MYRIAD.WHERE WE CONNECT. |VR EXPERIENCE
- THE LAST WORKER
- EXPLORING HOME
- YI YUAN (THE FINAL WISH)
- Special Event – Out of Competition
- IN THE MIST
- Best of VR Expanded – Out of Competition
- MASKMAKER
- MIND VR EXPLORATION
- KUSUNDA
- MICRO MONSTERS WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
- MARE
- SPACE EXPLORERS: THE ISS EXPERIENCE – EPISODES 1-2
- SAM & MAX: THIS TIME IT’S VIRTUAL!
- MYST
- KNOT: A TRILOGY
- WRAITH: THE OBLIVION – AFTERLIFE
- JURASSIC WORLD AFTERMATH
- REEDUCATED
- Biennale College Cinema – Out of Competition
- LAVRYNTHOS
Venice VR Expanded will run from 1st – 19th September 2021. If you don’t have a VR headset you can also head to these collaborating physical spaces around the world during that time period. All part of the Venice VR Expanded Satellite Programme, you’ll need to make a reservation directly with each venue. The benefit of an onsite visit is the locations will present those works not available online.
- Centre PHI, Montréal, Canada
- Sandman Studios – Sandbox Immersive Festival, Beijing and Shanghai, China
- MC2: Grenoble, Grenoble, France
- Centquatre-Paris, Paris, France
- Invr.Space, Berlin, Germany
- MEET Digital Culture Center | Fondazione Cariplo, Milan, Italy
- Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini – Laboratorio Aperto di Modena, Modena, Italy
- Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin, Italy
- M9 – Museum of the 20th Century, Venice Mestre, Italy
- Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Less Media Group – Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
- Espronceda – Institute of Art & Culture, Barcelona, Spain
- Euromersive Turkey – IKSV Salon & Kolektif House (Maslak), Istanbul, Turkey
- Portland Art Museum & Northwest Film Center – Portland Art Museum, Portland, USA
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Venice VR Expanded, reporting back with the latest updates.
via Mint VR