An immersive and sensory evolving work

“The Crowd” is produced in Virtual Reality (VR) and is designed to be a multi-sensory, participatory and adaptive project.

Audience members are invited to walk barefoot into the water and wear a VR and audio headset. Their immersive experience starts by heading towards a small group of characters who huddle up and turn their backs upon seeing you, throwing quick glances over at the approaching visitors. Punctuated by different phases of interaction, users are faced with successive rejection as the group of characters grows and the virtual water level rises.

Each participant reacts differently, some laugh, others question/are suspicious, recoil, or seek a way to communicate with the mysterious characters in an attempt to stop the harmful effects/negative consequences.

The work, which is experienced in group workshops, is directly generated piece by piece as it encounters the public. The graphic designers, developers and director Mathieu Pradat adjust the interactive scenes from one sequence to the next. The work becomes truly enriched by the shared collective experiences.

In fact, the questions asked by the public are then incorporated into the epilogue which will take place in another festival on another continent (more info to come).