A citizen science group that attempts to contact alien life through the internet
Tim Monley, who is the writer, director, and producer of Alt-AR has been making immersive and interactive work for over 10 years. This is his first work in virtual reality.
Tell us about the show in 100 words or less
Alt-AR is about a citizen science group that attempts to contact alien life through the internet. They devise a ritual based on some mysterious top-secret equipment that promises to entangle our minds with that of a being from another planet. Filled with a desire to connect they ask us to share and to open up our minds to welcome in this unknown entity. The ritual takes places in virtual reality and can be experiences either in VR or in the browser.
Anywhere Festival takes place anywhere but a theatre. Tell us about your venue. What is it about your space that adds to your audience experience?
While the show can be experienced online it exists both in a virtual world and in The Paint Factory in Yeronga. The Paint Factory is an incredible arts space that will hopefully become a major centre for the arts in Brisbane. At the moment it has an incredible run-down industrial aesthetic that is just perfect for a group of radical citizen scientists to set up their experiment in. While audiences will be viewing the show from online, we are giving them a window into a fascinating space and we’ll be building a set that will be spectacular to view.
Image + cover image: Brittney Watson
What is your creative process like?
An artistic mentor of mine used to say ‘confront the materials’. I think this idea holds true with technology as well. You have to confront what the material of your show is, even if it is virtual. I am filled with a kind of dread about the power that is concentrating in the companies that connect us. Over recent years a hugely powerful force has been unleashed through social media, one that possesses us in strange ways and uses us for its own ends. It reminded me of movies like The Thing, it was like a monster has emerged in our world. So I took that genre and decided a shlock horror story would be a fun way to explore our feelings around surveillance capitalism, privacy and the power of big data and artificial intelligence.
Tell us your origin story. How did your company start?
Folly Games grew out of The Game at Woodford Folk Festival. We made very silly, interactive theatre that had hundreds of players and hours of content. From there we started to collaborate on other ideas, always with a sense of playfulness and absurdity.
For this show we are collaborating with the University of the Sunshine Coast to create the virtual world. Their honours year game design students have been creating amazing work and I’m really excited to show people what they’ve come up with.
Who is your perfect audience member? Who is going to LOVE this event?
We’re exploring connection and sharing as well as providing some horror fun. If you’re uneasy about your relationship with social media this is chance to explore that in a fun way.
Is there anything else we simply MUST know about the show?
This is a work in development, so expect a few bumps along the way and we’re open to feedback. You will need an internet connection and it will be best experienced with headphones.
Alt-AR takes place as part of Anywhere Festival on the 9th and 16th May 6pm and 8pm, online and at the Judith Wright Arts Centre.
