This installation with live music and VR was part of BFI Expanded in 2022, and a digital version of the experience remains accessible on the BFI’s YouTube channel.
At the time of original performance, tickets could be bought for VR headsets (full integration on the piece through motion capture) or tablets (devices responding in real time).
Happily, the recorded version captures the spirit of both, with a live band, projections, and a sense of immersive 3D technology. It isn’t the same as being there but is a discrete and effective work in its own right.
Aiming to form a new performance tradition, Martir and his Satore Studio created “Performative-R”, which integrates live music, dance, set design, AR, VR, and projection.
As the conductor “leads and sculpts” the petformances, we see real time graphics, dancers, and live music transform a space into a cohesive, interpretive, improvised, and crafted work of art.
Seen live, it is bespoke to what you wish it to be. Recorded, it is a curated presentation of vibrant colours, classically and electronically inspired music, and floating objects overlaid by video projection mapping.
The effect is beautiful: with occasional snatches of voice; of pictures that almost come together in a recognisable composition. It is a piece that demands your attention on a big screen in surround sound.
Unique is deeply creative, as you might expect from a visual artist who has worked with the likea of Beyoncé or Danny Boyle. Martir ensures that this show poses questions but doesn’t necessarily answer them.
It is all about the fusion of seeing and hearing what might be beyond our understanding. If there is a story in Unique, it is what you make it. It is the child of Tubular Bells and Star Wars by way of Twin Peaks.
Running at just over 45 minutes, Unique fills your head with lines, patterns, stars, and more. It flips on itself, reproduces, and mesmerises.
You may find out more about the production here before watching the film on YouTube.
More on Satore Studio can be found here.
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