SomaExpo Public Exhibition
August 19-20
Discover body-centered XR first-hand. Be it via smartphone, classic VR gear or light glasses; in art, entertainment, or education: How will the possibility of full-body engagement in virtual worlds influence our way of communicating and understanding our world in the future?
The SomaExpo features a broad variety of interactive experiences and playful performances that explore physical presence and a body-centric design approach. The exhibition ground at Schanzenstraße includes in- and outdoor locations at Carlswerk, ID Cologne and SCZ 22-24-28. Indoor locations are, amongst others, Schauspiel Köln “Die Grotte,” as well as the Cologne Game Lab “The Aquarium.” Outdoor-exhibits will be presented in pavilions. Visitors will be playfully guided through the exhibition area with a web app.
Immerse yourself in an XR experience that evoke our body´s innate safety mechanisms with RICHIE´S PLANK EXPERIENCE (Toast VR), a VR classic. Dance, play and connect with others in the immersive audio game SECRET SHUFFLE (de Jongh). Enter the non-normative experience of pregnancy and pregnant bodies with the artistic XR intervention [POSTHUMAN WOMBS](Fries/Peeters). Lose yourself in ELELE´s (van Acker) meditative VR synthesizer that centers around the hands of the player. Use your imagination and movement to communicate with your play partner and create your own pas de deus in the playful XR live performance I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE.