Virtual Showcase Opening Night
Monday, September 18, 2023
6:30pm - 9pm PT
In-Person Showcase Opening Night
Thursday, September 21, 2023
6:30pm - 9pm PT
Sliding Scale Admission $0-30
Admission is free for Gray Area Members!
Join today to help sustain our creative community.
Join us on September 18 and 21 for the final showcase of work from Gray Area's most recent cohort of the Open Metaverse Intensive.
The Open Metaverse Intensive is a 10-week online course designed to empower and transform participants and players into citizens and developers of the interconnected virtual spaces where we work, play, and live.
Throughout the intensive, students have been creating original virtual reality (VR) immersive augmented reality (AR) 3D environments; each built from scratch using various digital creator tools and code frameworks--from blockchains to Blender. Spanning virtual shrines, dynamic auditory landscapes, and reimagined compositions, this collection explores themes of cultural heritage, memory, empathy, and innovation, inviting audiences to engage with art in new dimensions and challenge the boundaries of conventional artistic expression.
Experience the rich vistas of the Open Metaverse with us ~ live and in-world on Spatial.io, as each of the artists will lead us on a guided tour of their spaces.
After the artist showcase, join multimedia artist Anna Mikkola for a multi-sensory performance exploring the coexistence of synthetic and organic life forms.vMikkola's 'This Earth-Like Planet' (2019-ongoing) is a performative reading that weaves together actual and speculative science in recounting the development of the first synthetic cell on this other Earth, and the resulting artificial intelligence holobionts that emerge. The narrative reflects on how our futures are co-constructed in the present, and touches upon the cycle of life and death.
The performance includes original music and sound design by Pekka Airaxin. His droning, undulating sonic environment foregrounds a dramatic choreography from Mikkola, which is set in an immersive video installation environment.
As a Gray Area Member you get special access to events, behind-the-scenes content and more. Co-creator and Cultivator levels receive free access to the upcoming Gray Area Festival: Plural Prototypes on October 19 -22.
Gray Area is a dedicated family of supporters who believe in the power of creative action to catalyze social transformation. Join as a member today to provide sustaining support for our globally unique arts, education, research, and incubation programs.
