VRFocus reported on the range of virtual reality (VR) experiences that have been developed by the BBC over time, and one of the more immersive experiences was Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel. Its effectiveness is reflected by its ongoing success as it has now been chosen to be showcased at the National Theatre in London, UK.
What Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel, produced for the BBC by Dan Tucker, BBC Learning’s Editor of History Online, is about is the reimagining of the events that took place in Ireland from November 1915 to Easter time in 1916, where we follow McNeive’s eyewitness account of the rebellion of the Irish Republic. It was a very chaotic and violent event that resulted in hundreds of deaths, and it is tastefully animated in VR for the Oculus Rift.
Michael Tuft, Executive Producer, BBC Learning, released a statement in a press release regarding the experience: “VR is still an emerging medium, but its got huge potential as an immersive experience to inform, educate and entertain our audience. This piece shows how it can be used to tell compelling and complex stories. It forms a key part of the BBC’s output examining the Easter Rising from a variety of perspectives and in different mediums. As audiences visit the National Theatre to try Easter Rising we hope they will be transported to another world just as they are when they watch great theatre.”
Oscar Raby, Creative Director, VRTOV, commented on the effectiveness of VR as a medium when recounting historical stories such as Easter Rising: “Reconstructing an event from the past with interactive media is a way of saying history is never finalised, we never stop probing it and finding what it means in the present. Every time we tell a story an event is reconstructed in front of us. Interactive media and computer games in particular, put this dynamic nature at the forefront of their experiences. They merge what was designed in the past with what we actively do in present time. A story told is a story updated. This act of vicarious involvement is itself a new chapter in that event’s history.”
Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel is featuring as a free installation from now until October 22nd in the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Lounge.
For more on the latest VR installations, as well as all the news, updates, and features in the world of VR, make sure to check back with VRFocus.