My Identity Is This Expanse!

My Identity Is This Expanse! is a virtual reality film and installation that tells you the story of a child who, resilient to despair, seeks relief through memories, imagination, and the strength of poetry. Mahmoud Darwish’s poem If I Were Another, is both the child’s and the viewer’s entrance into this realm of relief and resilience. The journey is based on the true story of Yunus Yusuf, who was transported under these circumstances from Afghanistan to Luxembourg at the age of 13. It is also the story of millions of other refugee children and adults, both today and throughout history.

HOW TO ACCESS

You will need a VR ready PC and an HTC Vive/Pro/Pro 2 or an Oculus Rift/Rift S headset to access the experience on Viveport.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

The work between Karolina Markiewicz and Pascal Piron, initiated in 2013 in Luxembourg, creates links between film, visual arts, and theatre. At the center, the individual is part of a human community, oscillating between impermanence, resignation, and hope. Their latest VR project, Sublimation, was part of the College Biennale VR section and selected for the Mostra di Venezia 2019.

Tamiko Thiel is an American artist, known for her digital art. In 2018, she received the iX Immersive Media "Visionary Pioneer" Award from the Society for Arts and Technology in Montreal for over 30 years of creating poetic objects and memory spaces that explore social and cultural issues.

CREDITS

Producers: Marion Guth, François Le Gall

Associate producer: Laurent Witz

Music composers: Nataša Grujović, Kevin Muhlen

Technical and art director: Fabien Weibel

Voices: Elisabet Johannesdottir, Jules Werner, Pitt Simon, Catherine Elsen, Lara Windeshausen, Christina Khoury, Ben Andrews, Eddie Hudson, Leo Hudson

VR documentary | Runtime: 15 mins | Platform: Viveport | Compatible headsets: HTC Vive/Pro/Pro 2 and Oculus Rift/Rift S

Award nomination: Best Documentary Experience