InVisible (2021) - A Mixed Reality Performance

In collaboration with Treyden Chiaravalloti

InVisible is a street performance in which two performers traverse along the edges of different realities. One performer is immersed in ‘Virtual-Reality’ (VR) through an Oculus Quest headset. The other is immersed in ‘Real Life’ (RL) while holding the controllers of the other’s headset. During the performance, the hand movements of the RL performer are being displayed inside the virtual field as graphic drawings. The RL performer uses the controller to trace a path for the VR performer to follow, while also depicting RL objects and bodies in an attempt to manifest them inside the virtual landscape. The VR performer responds to the visual cues by embodying the drawings, translating them into movement, following them and figuring out what the body can do in this new space.

InVisible from Treyden on Vimeo.

While VR and RL usually operate in isolation from one another, InVisible displays the authenticity of each of these two realities as they become intertwined. Both performers attempt to hack, break, puncture and penetrate the boundaries of the other’s reality through embodiment, play and performance. This curious exploration leads to the  production of multiple selves; the digital self and the physical self. The space in-between and the sense of presence inside two different realities at the same time helps us understand ourselves along with our relationships and our responsibilities toward one another in greater nuance.