Realities in Transition presents BETACAMP XR, a streamingPARTY live from L.E.V. Festival and iMal Center for digital cultures and technology
4-5-6 JULY · VIRTUAL EVENT
We usually define Extended Realities as a conceptual umbrella which hosts both very old and very new terms, such as augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality and the metaverse. The truth is that it is complicated to imagine such a big umbrella including the immense diversity of tools, stories, experiences, dreams, discoveries and research which have been transforming how we look at the physical world from virtuality throughout several decades.
Such diversity is threatened when we try to homogenize and standardize the process of production, distribution and consumption of XR art projects, or when we succumb to the trends which we regularly find in public discourse. Contrary to popular belief, today’s extended reality is influenced by an unstoppable nostalgia. It is not a sad nostalgia of a better past, but a nostalgia thrilled by so many major milestones that inspired so many people in the world, but which seem to be neglected little by little, like the history of open source code behind places like High Fidelity, Vircadia, Tivoli Cloud VR and now Overte or the first software development kit for Oculus, financed thanks to a crowdsourced campaign.
In the context of the European project Realities in Transition, LEV Festival (Spain) and iMAL (Belgium) present BetaCamp XR, a streamingPARTY which wants to celebrate this diversity and this nostalgia, while inviting us to reflect on the future of Extended Realities in the European context, reminding us about how valuable have these technologies been in the past, due to their rich history. As Úrsula K. Le Guin said in her essays about Fantasy and Science-Fiction: “At this point, realism is perhaps the least adequate means of understanding or portraying the incredible realities of our existence”.
Read more
On July 4, 5 and 6 2024, we will pay tribute to the story of audiovisual media, which have generated so many dreams under the wings of modern societies. Our streaming party will include the showcase of a wide range of projects related to extended realities, as an extension rather than a rupture of this wonderful collective story.
Our program includes: the presentation of projects like Space’s Popular “The Portal Galleries”, or the pioneer avatar artist LaTurbo Avedon. Discussions around the work of other European creators like Deletere studio, and visits to the places where extended realities are imagined and produced.
It will also feature presentations of committed projects like “The Uncensored Library”, virtual meeting places and parties like NeuroDungeon’s NeuroXcape and Metaverse tours guided by their own creators like Uncanny Alley by MetaRick. Thanks to the work of artists, we will step into the borders of the XR concept, challenging stereotypes and clichés.
Our big party will be specifically aimed at communities around extended realities, but also at every curious individual, who we invite to these three days of celebration, alongside with the members of the Realities in Transition project.
Leer más
Realities in Transition presenta, en directo desde L.E.V. Festival (España) e iMal (Bélgica), BetaCamp XR, una streamingPARTY que quiere celebrar esta diversidad y esta nostalgia, al mismo tiempo que propicia una reflexión sobre el futuro de las Realidades Extendidas en el contexto europeo, recordando el valor que a lo largo de su rica historia han demostrado estas tecnologías en el pasado. Resonamos con las palabras de Úrsula K. Le Guin en sus ensayos sobre Fantasía y Ciencia Ficción: “A estas alturas, el realismo será quizá la forma menos adecuada de comprender y describir las realidades increíbles de nuestra existencia”.
Durante los días 4, 5 y 6 de julio 2024, homenajeamos en el formato a la historia de los medios audiovisuales, que tantos sueños han despertado en el seno de las sociedades modernas e invitaremos a nuestra fiesta a una gran variedad de proyectos relacionados con las realidades extendidas como continuación y no como ruptura, de esta maravillosa historia colectiva.
Entre otras cosas, se mostrarán varios proyectos artísticos como The Portal Galleries de Space Popular, se dialogará sobre el trabajo de otros creadores europeos como LaTurbo Avedon o Deletere Studio, y se visitarán los espacios donde se imagina y se produce la realidad extendida. Habrá presentaciones de proyectos como The Uncensored Library, lugares de encuentro y fiestas virtuales como NeuroXcape de NeuroDungeon y visitas a metaversos guiadas por sus propios creadores, como la de Uncanny Alley de MetaRick. Gracias al trabajo de los y las artistas, nos asomaremos a los bordes del concepto XR, desafiando pensamientos estereotipados o clichés.
Nos dirigimos especialmente a las comunidades en torno a las realidades extendidas y a todas aquellas personas inquietas a quienes invitamos a conectar a lo largo de estos tres días y celebrar, junto con los socios y socias del proyecto Realities in Transition, una gran fiesta.
