Category: MTV

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Life in 360º: MTV European Music Awards

The 2017 European Music Awards ceremony was held at London’s SSE Wembley on Sunday 12th November, with whole constellations of music stars performing on stage for the benefit of the audience. Not just the audience in attendance, either. With the power of 360-degree video music fans all over the world could watch.

Virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video platform Mativision powered the MTV mobile app that allowed users who downloaded the app to view a 360-degree video livestream of the MTV European Music Awards, allowing smartphone users with the app to view performances from the likes of Kesha, U2, The Killers, Liam Payne, Travis Scott and Demi Lovato, among several others.

The MTV EMA show also featured some augmented reality (AR) elements which were unlocked during the awards ceremony, exclusively for users who have the MTV EMA app. The MTV EMA app also gives users access to the newsfeed, 360-degree and VR videos, profiles of the nominees as well as stickers that can be downloaded and shared with friends.

Of course the full livestream is no longer available, but highlights including photos and some of the performances can still be found on the app for those who wish to relive the experience of the awards ceremony.

The MTV EMA app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

VRFocus will be back next week with another Life in 360º.

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Hayden Zezula Focuses on Climate Change for MTV’s Open Your Eyes Campaign

Today’s the big day when Americans get to cast their vote in the presidential election, deciding who they want to run the country for the next four years. To coincide with this MTV has been running the Open Your Eyes campaign, a virtual reality (VR) art showcase where artists voice their concerns on various social issues. VRFocus has been covering these creators with a daily piece highlighting one particular artist. Today its the turn of Hayden Zezula with his Google Tilt Brush artwork EYES, focusing on climate change and pollution.  

In a brief synopsis on the campaign’s website Zezula said: “The topic I chose is climate change and pollution. I wanted to create a visual representation of something we often don’t think about and give it a face. “eyes” looks into you and forces you to acknowledge its existence.”

Below you find a short interview with the artist, a video highlighting the EYES artwork, and then the fully interactive piece which is available through Sketchfab.

Previously VRFocus has covered Dave Persue’s piece Wrong Hands, focusing on gun violence, Tyler Wallach Studio’s Pulse 49, which looks at issues surrounding LGBTQ rights, and New York-based JCORP, whose artwork Not Your Baby highlights rape culture.

Even with the election today there are still more artists to come, so keep reading VRFocus for the latest additions.

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Hayden Zezula Focuses on Climate Change for MTV’s Open Your Eyes Campaign

Today’s the big day when Americans get to cast their vote in the presidential election, deciding who they want to run the country for the next four years. To coincide with this MTV has been running the Open Your Eyes campaign, a virtual reality (VR) art showcase where artists voice their concerns on various social issues. VRFocus has been covering these creators with a daily piece highlighting one particular artist. Today its the turn of Hayden Zezula with his Google Tilt Brush artwork EYES, focusing on climate change and pollution.  

In a brief synopsis on the campaign’s website Zezula said: “The topic I chose is climate change and pollution. I wanted to create a visual representation of something we often don’t think about and give it a face. “eyes” looks into you and forces you to acknowledge its existence.”

Below you find a short interview with the artist, a video highlighting the EYES artwork, and then the fully interactive piece which is available through Sketchfab.

Previously VRFocus has covered Dave Persue’s piece Wrong Hands, focusing on gun violence, Tyler Wallach Studio’s Pulse 49, which looks at issues surrounding LGBTQ rights, and New York-based JCORP, whose artwork Not Your Baby highlights rape culture.

Even with the election today there are still more artists to come, so keep reading VRFocus for the latest additions.

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Artist JCORP Highlights Rape Culture for MTV’s Open Your Eyes Campaign

Over the past week in the run up to the US presidential election, VRFocus has been covering MTV’s Open Your Eyes campaign – part of its larger Elect This programme. If you’ve been following our coverage you’ll know that it features virtual reality (VR) artwork from various artists, covering a range of issues. These have included Dave Persue piece Wrong Hands, focusing on gun violence, and Tyler Wallach Studio’s Pulse 49, which looks at issues surrounding LGBTQ rights. Today’s artist is New York-based JCORP, whose artwork Not Your Baby highlights rape culture.

As with the other entries is the Open Your Eyes series there’s a Sketchfab 3D model to explore, a short video on the model and an interview with the artist.

In a short piece on the campaign website, JCORP explains why she chose this particular issue: “‘Not Your Baby’ is an immersive experiential painting that speaks against today’s rape culture. Featuring my signature characters posing in the nude in a rainbow theatrical setting, the girls proudly declare that they are ‘nobody’s baby’, even and especially when all eyes are on them!

“Victim-blaming in sexual violence can be traced to skewed views about female bodies that we see and hear everyday but take for granted. From cat-calling on the street to slut-shaming in popular media, these minor injustices all contribute to the harmful idea that a woman’s body is an object to be obtained and used. My girls are here to encourage the viewer take a step together to shatter these misconceptions and bring back appreciation for beauty and respect!”

Checkout the videos and Sketchfab model below, and check back with VRFocus tomorrow for another Open Your Eyes addition.

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Today’s Artist for MTV’s Open Your Eyes Campaign Focuses on LGBTQ Rights

This week VRFocus has been covering MTV’s Open Your Eyes campaign to do with the US presidential election. Everyday a new artist is showcased, revealing a piece of virtual reality (VR) artwork on a different social theme created with Google Tilt Brush. There’s been Illma Gore’s piece Who’s Watching Who Watches Us? and Dave Persue with his artwork Wrong Hands. Today its the turn of Tyler Wallach Studio with Pulse 49.

Pulse 49 focuses on issues around LGBTQ rights and the attack at the Orlando nightclub earlier this year. On MTV’s Elect This campaign website Wallach said: “My virtual reality piece is to honour the lives of the 49 souls we lost at PULSE nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. As an active member of the LGBTQA community of New York City, I have to realize, it could just as easily have been any one of us, at any gay bar we’ve ever been to. The common ‘gay bar’ is actually a place where many seek solace, family and inclusive community…and our space was betrayed. I created this virtual reality of love because when one of us in the community hurts, we all hurt. This piece is my opportunity to let the world know we will not be torn apart by hate.”

Below is a short video run though of Pulse 49, and under that is the Sketchfab version to peruse as you wish.

VRFocus will be bringing you further artworks from the MTV campaign as it progresses.

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Dave Persue Highlights Gun Violence for MTV’s Open Your Eyes Campaign

Yesterday VRFocus reported on MTV running a campaign called Elect This in the run up to the US presidential election. As part of it MTV has collated as series of virtual reality (VR) art pieces using Google’s Tilt Brush, called Open Your Eyes. Everyday a new artist is showcased, with a video interview with the artist, a video walkthrough and the final 3D model on Sketchfab. Yesterday VRFocus showed Illma Gore and her piece Who’s Watching Who Watches Us?, and today its Dave Persue with his artwork Wrong Hands, which looks at gun violence.

First up is a short video interview with Persue in which he explains his concept: “We’ve made great strides as Americans, but when it comes to guns, and violence with them, it’s like taking steps back.

“My piece is that of domestic violence against women.”

The next video below is a quick run though of Wrong Hands.

Finally there’s the full Sketchfab 3D model, allowing viewers to completely explore the piece at their own leisure.

All the pieces of art will be showcased on Sketchfab, which can be viewed on a monitor, or via head-mounted displays (HMDs) like Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

VRFocus will be bringing you further artworks from the MTV campaign as it progresses.

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MTV Launches US Election Themed VR Art Show ‘Elect This’

The US election takes place in a few days time, and if you’ve been keeping up with the latest news its been more than a little controversial. So in the run up to election day MTV has launched a themed virtual reality (VR) art show called Elect This which spotlights a different artist each day who’s created a piece in Google’s Tilt Brush that focuses on important social issues.

The Elect This campaign has been created to help drive youth turnout whilst allowing young voters to utilise art to express the issues they’re most interested in. MTV’s Open Your Eyes VR election campaign features artists including Illma Gore, Dave Persue, Tyler Wallach Studio, ThankyouX, Hayden Zezula (Zolloc), Ada Rajkovic, JCORP, Fabiola Lara, Shaun O’Connor, Sam Stewart, Grace Miceli, Renda Writer, Jon Santos For Freedoms, SacSix, Wane COD, SASHALYNILLO, Gumshoe and Kristian Mercado, as they look at issues such as race, LGBT, gun violence, immigration and more.

MTV - Elect This logo

Curated in partnership with Viacom NEXT, the artworks will be shown in VR alongside various social channels and there will also be video interviews with the featured artists explaining what they’ve created and why.

It began this week with Illma Gore’s piece Who’s Watching Who Watches Us? You can see the artwork below, on the Open Your Eyes website she wrote: “Inequality is systematic, equality cannot be obtained unless the white man asks what he can do to help to mobilize those who have been marginalized. I have never second-guessed my safety around police. That is my privilege as a white woman. I too, have been guilty of believing I was not part of the problem by viewing all as equals. But I was a part of the problem. My belief in equality is a start, but it doesn’t amplify the voices that aren’t being heard, because ‘I didn’t see people by their race’. Ask yourself if you are really looking to help the plight of liberty of fellow human beings or making it about yourself. Ask how you can be an ally. Raise real awareness about racism in America. Acknowledge privilege. If you have privilege, don’t just think about slowing down. Race with your neighbour, run together, together you can run faster and revolt.”

All the pieces of art will be showcased on Sketchfab which can be viewed on a monitor, or via head-mounted displays (HMDs) like Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

VRFocus will be bringing you further artworks from the MTV campaign as it progresses.