Philippe Cohen Solal Wins Villa Albertine’s Inaugural Immersive Storytelling Prize
INSIDER - OUTSIDER by Philippe Cohen Solal
Solal received Villa Albertine’s inaugural prize, which honors exceptional narrative skill and artistic vision, for his VR musical experience INSIDER-OUTSIDER presented at the FilmGate Interactive Media Festival in Miami, Florida.
Co-produced by Lucid Realities and Science & Mélodie, the INSIDER-OUTSIDER experience is part of a vast transmedia project entitled OUTSIDER, led by Solal. The experience is inspired by the work of Henry Darger, a world-renowned “outsider artist” whose work remained unknown until his death. The project combines music, animation, and artistic performances to reinterpret Henry Darger’s work.
INSIDER-OUTSIDER was selected from a field of 12 entries representing projects in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Dome Experiences. In total, creators and collaborators from 8 countries, including four from France, submitted works for consideration by the jury.
Founded in 2012, the FilmGate Interactive Media Festival is known as one of the world’s premiere New Media festivals. Since its inception, the festival has become a major platform for immersive technologies, artificial intelligence, and interactive arts. Now in its 12th year, the program has welcomed over 400 artists, presented hundreds of works, and organized over 200 panels and networking sessions.
About the Artist
A French musician, composer, and producer, Philippe Cohen Solal is one of the founding members of Gotan Project. A versatile artist with a passion for technology, he now draws inspiration from the works of Henry Darger, a leading figure in Art Brut, to create his transmedia project INSIDER-OUTSIDER, which blends live performance, music, and immersive experiences.