ARTandVR Futurist Exhibition Unites Artists and Techies in Historic Church Reopening After 30 Years
On February 18th, the newly renovated HACK Temple will host the San Francisco-based ARTandVRexhibition. With over thirty featured artists, performers, and exhibitors, every part of the church will present a novel experience.
Demos will abound with ten Virtual Reality experiences, including Sundance selections Price of Freedom and Viens!, featured artist Marpi, a trip exploring mortality by Chelley Sherman, a Galactic Gallery of top visionary artists, and more. Audiences will also be able to draw with their minds using an electroencephalogram, or EEG. The Welch Brothers and El Shamanico will be displaying their newest work alongside Bay Area locals Irie and TITTY. Kimber Shaw and Julia Sorenson’s mixed media hanging will be suspended on one side, with Stuart Mason’s floating LED sculpture on the other. Lounge areas will offer a crystal tea ceremony, the Lucia Light Experience, and the live audio visual act Made of the Moon.
On stage, futurist and filmmaker Brett Leonard, Director of “The Lawnmower Man” and “Virtuosity,” will discuss best practices for avoiding dystopia. Beautiful Machines will be giving a preview presentation of their upcoming TED Talk. Local electronic artists Heddy Fur and Gonzofuze will play eclectic music. Oakland-based Cerebellum Projekt will end the night with an aerial acrobatics show based on the transformative tales in the taro deck accompanied by synthesizers and live instruments.
ARTandVR began when Stuart Mason—a sculpturist and pupil at San Francisco Art Institute—began curating art and Virtual Reality showcases at the Upload Collective which featured visionaries such as Android Jones, as well as gave local artists a launching pad to display and sell their work. Mason asked for advice from VR filmmaker Fifer Garbesi in selecting art pieces for the show. Being a Bay Area native and devout underground art fan, she led him to undiscovered visionaries in Oakland. They found Victor Castro, distinctly known for his intricate and multi-layered, UV reactive shrine, which has since evolved into a projection mapped, interactive masterpiece on display at the show. Castro has been invited to present at the SFMoMA.
“Within this family, we connect younger, aspiring artists with the resources, partners, and fan base they need to emerge as leaders into an ecosystem eager to see and experience new realities,” says exhibition creator Stuart Mason.
“I believe bridging the growing chasm between the art and tech communities through creative collaboration could catalyze the radical change needed to become a truly progressive society. Not to mention result in some incredible art,” says co-founder Fifer Garbesi.
ARTandVR is located in a stunning cathedral with a rich history linked to the transformation of San Francisco. Built in 1912, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church was the worshiping place for many Spanish speaking Christians. In 2016, GVA Capitol purchased the building to transform it into a meeting place for thought leaders to gather and innovate.
“For a whole century it served as a place for people to come with their dreams and challenges, help and support each other and connect,” GVA co-founder Cherkashin told SFist. “We needed a place for an open public forum to inspire free flow of thoughts and ideas on innovation.”
ARTandVR invites attendees to explore the possibilities of network and collaboration in this inspiring space.
To learn more about the event and purchase tickets, go to ARTandVR.com.
View the Facebook event link at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1365521893469578/.
About ARTandVR:
ARTandVR was birthed from the belief that bridging the growing chasm between the art and tech communities could catalyze the radical change needed to become a humanist, progressive society. Bringing together the best in underground art and indie coding, the results are multi-layered, sensorial, and groundbreaking. The February 18th exhibition will showcase a projection mapped altar, world creation VR, and aerial acrobatics, just to name a few.
About Keyframe:
Keyframe-Entertainment is sponsoring the ARTandVR event and providing additional support. Keyframe-Entertainment is a specialized branding and strategy firm, which produces, supports, and distributes cutting-edge projects. Keyframe is the Executive Producer of “ReInhabiting the Village,” “The Bloom Series” Episode 3, and “Electronic Awakening,” and the Associate Producer of The Polish Ambassador’s Permaculture Action Tour film, and the upcoming dance music film “The American Jungle.”
