Experience “Encounters”: A VR Journey by Mathieu Pradat
Credit: Encounters, from SoWhen?
The Museum of Science - Boston
November 2-17, 2024
From November 2 to November 17, don’t miss the unique opportunity to try out the Encounters virtual reality experience at the Museum of Science, as part of the Power(s) of Water Festival.
“Encounters” is an immersive mixed reality experience. Participants enter the room equipped with a virtual reality headset and earphones. During their virtual exploration, they discover different worlds, generate characters through their own movements and interact with them. A monitor will allow the rest of the audience to see what the participants are doing in the virtual world.
Like a musical work, “Encounters” is composed in four movements: The Crowd, The Birds, The Colossus and the Epilogue. As they explore and interact with each other, spectators gradually saturate the worlds they successively discover. At first, they generate characters who turn away, then greedy birds who poison themselves, and finally transport ships that multiply. Each movement, or chapter, is punctuated by an interlude of rain, recalling both the birth of life on earth and the imminent, destructive rise of the waters.
The epilogue is then the scene of a unique encounter with a character, a virtual otherness of the spectators, another like themselves. A dialogue is established to glimpse another possible world.
“The aim of Encounters is to rediscover the thread of a simple, seemingly naïve idea, that of concerted collective action, emanating from dialogue and, above all, from listening. The disasters of the first three chapters of Encounters are those of non-hearing, pushed to the point of caricature, that is no longer ashamed of itself, no longer pretending and, beyond lying, arrogates to itself the right to indifference.”
Writer, director, architect and artist Mathieu Pradat creates immersive experiences that make us think about our relationship with space. Resident at M.I.T. in 2021, winner of the Taiwan XR residency and the Villa Albertine in 2022, his virtual reality experiences and films have been selected and awarded at numerous festivals, including Venice Virtual – La Mostra de Venise, the Geneva International Film Festival, the Frankfurt Biennale, and the Rotunda of the Locarno Film Festival. Mathieu Pradat is also the founder and director of La Prairie Productions.
In partnership with
Consulat général de France à Boston
The Consulate general of France in Boston is the consular representation of the French Republic in New-England (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). It includes consular, cultural and scientific services.
Goethe-Institut Boston
For over 40 years, the Goethe-Institut Boston has been dedicated to fostering a vibrant dialogue and exchange between American and German artists and experts. Its efforts extend beyond mere cultural presentation, actively facilitating international cooperation in the arts. Through collaborative projects, the Goethe-Institut Boston creates opportunities for cross-cultural engagement, encouraging a dynamic exchange of ideas and practices.
Museum of Science – Boston
A genuine institution in Boston, the Museum of Science offers interactive exhibits on science and technology. It offers hands-on experiments, live demonstrations and planetarium shows, aiming to educate and inspire visitors of all ages. The museum is a dynamic learning center that fosters scientific curiosity and innovation.
La Praire Productions
La Prairie Production specializes in the production of audiovisual and artistic content. It focuses on the creation of innovative, high-quality projects. With a focus on creativity and excellence, La Prairie Production produces engaging and original works, and contributes to the cultural and media landscape.
Veolia
Veolia is a world leader in resource management and environmental services. Specialized in water, waste and energy, Veolia offers solutions to improve resource efficiency. It operates worldwide to provide water treatment, waste management and energy optimization services.
Institut français
The Institut français is responsible for France’s international cultural program. Supervised by both the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and by the Ministry of Culture, it promotes French culture abroad through cultural exchange initiatives. Operating in a space where the arts, intellectual exchange, cultural and social innovation, and linguistic partnerships interact and intersect, it is also responsible for promoting the French language and the sharing of works, artists, and ideas all over the world. The Institut français is one of Villa Albertine’s main French partners.
Franco-German Cultural Fund
The Franco-German Cultural Fund is an initiative to promote cultural exchange and artistic collaboration between France and Germany. It supports joint projects, artist residencies and cultural events, thus strengthening relations between the two countries. The main aim of the fund is to foster mutual understanding and enrich cultural exchanges by supporting creative and innovative initiatives.
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