Animation|Augmented Reality|AV Installations|Film|Light Art & Video Mapping|Virtual Reality

Together Apart

Created by Demian Albers (APVIS) |  Micha Hamel

  • Winner Bester Kurzfilm VR – Alpinale short film festival 2022
  • Officiële Selectie Gouden Kalf Digitale Cultuur – Nederlands Film Festival 2021
  • Best VR Experience – Berlin Indie Film Festival 2022
  • Nominaee Best VR – Ignite Film Festival 2022
  • Finalist Best VR – Tokyo International Short Film Festival 2022

A love story in which  youth experiences still resound

A man and a woman deal differently with their childhood events when they engage in a relationship with each other. In this interactive installation the visitor navigates through their story by making choices in the design of the storyline, thus creating a personal version and outcome: will they stay together, or will they drift apart? It’s up to the visitor.

The different layers in the story demand active participation

In ‘Together Apart’ Micha Hamel and Demian Albers research different ways of telling a nonlinear story. The visitor experiences different forms of interactivity to shape the story they experience. By grabbing ‘memory’ objects they are transported to childhood memories, creating a mosaic of fragmented characteristics for the main characters. Questions such as: what role does someone’s childhood play in forming his/her character, to what extent do events, traumas and convictions influence or even reign us, and how certain issues either complicate or deepen a relationship are deliberately left open.  It is up to the visitors to piece parts of the story together and draw their own conclusions based on what they chose to experience.

The virtual reality experience ‘Together Apart’ is made for the Oculus Quest 2 and consists of three parts. The total experience  lasts 23-27 minutes, depending on the choices visitors make. The installation requires 5×5 meter of free space and is experienced by one person at a time. The installation uses hand tracking and head interaction. There is a Dutch and English version available. Dutch title ‘Apart Samen’

´Together Apart´ is after ´Without Hands´ (2014) and ´Lure´ (2016) the third ‘poetic experience’ by Demian Albers and Micha Hamel.

Graphic design by TIN (Studio)

Credits

Director Demian Albers // Micha Hamel

Text Micha Hamel

VR Design Demian Albers

Female voice Elsa May Averill

Male Voice Dominic Kraemer

Technical Developer Wijnand Tol

Producer Studio APVIS

Audio Design VR Micha Hamel // Frank van Geest // Rik Nieuwdorp

Assistent VR Design Ines Fernandes // Matunda Groenendijk

Graphic Design Tin (studio)

Sound Engineering Studio De Slapende Hond, Amsterdam

Funded by