Jeremy Rotsztain
House of Shadow Silence, 2017
VR experience for Oculus Rift
"House of Shadow Silence" is a audio/visual VR experience that transports audience to the Film Guild Cinema. Frederick Kiesler, a De-Stijl artist, designed for the iconic cinema so that "the spectator must be able to lose himself in an imaginary endless space." One of its groundbreaking innovations was a "screen-o-scope"–a device for projecting onto the walls and ceiling so that viewers would be immersed in the drama on screen. When the cinema opened in New York City in 1929, its multimedia elements were left out due to budgetary constraints.
In "House of Shadow Silence," viewers float through the Film Guild as Kiesler designed it–through the mechanical eye at the front, and into the grain of the projected films. Looking around, they see geometric forms animating from the walls and ceiling. Simulations of film projectors cover the architecture and moving forms, creating a collision of avant-garde filmmaking and contemporary computer graphics.
"House of Shadow Silence" was presented as a VR installation at the Academy Theater in Portland, Oregon. The project is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and was developed during a residency at Schloss Solitude.
Concept & animation: Jeremy Rotsztain
Sound design: Chris Carlson
IMAGES
VIDEO LINK
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jeremy Rotsztain (b. 1977 in Toronto, Canada) is an artist and software programmer working with computer graphics to explore new modes of abstraction—across video installations, virtual reality worlds, mobile phone applications, and digital prints. Jeremy holds a Master's degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, including the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, New York Hall of Science, Grimmuseum, Festival Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal, and New Forms Festival. Jeremy lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
If you are interested in exhibiting or viewing this artistic VR experience, please send an email to us.
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