This month will see the city of Bristol, UK, become a test bed for 5G, hosted by the University of Bristol and Watershed. Taking place on the weekend of 17th/18th March, 2018, the two days will feature a range experimental public events to showcase the wireless technology. As part of it, Kaleider has created a virtual reality (VR) piece From the Light of the Fire, our Dancing Shadows, illustrating the artistic and creative potential of 5G.
From the Light of the Fire, our Dancing Shadows is a poetic VR dance from Kaleider, by Seth Honnor with Andy Wood and All Seeing Eye. Viewer will be able to explore two sides of the same VR experience, one in VR and the other watching on. Choose to be a Witness and listen through your own headphones, or take to the stage as a Player, wearing a Gear VR headset to immerse yourself in a lyrical interplay between light and shadow. Being part of the 5G weekend From the Light of the Fire, our Dancing Shadows uses the experimental 5G network to enable different people to collaborate in the same virtual world at once, outdoors and in a public space.
In addition to Kaleider’s VR experience, the Layered Realities Weekender 5G showcase will feature plenty of other technology using 5G. Audiences are invited to test out new works by artists, researchers and creatives, from Uninvited Guests and celebrated artist Joanie Lemercier’s audio-visual journey across the cosmos, to a programme of critical talks and technology demonstrations as well as Duncan Speakman’s augmented reality (AR) theatre.
Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, Director of the Smart Internet Lab at University of Bristol said in a statement: “The Smart Internet Lab is a world leader in the field of 5G network technologies. In March 2018 we are taking the challenge to deliver an end-to-end 5G network in Bristol’s Millennium Square and to demonstrate for the first time 5G services to the general public. We have worked closely with our strategic technology partners BT, CCS, Nokia and Zeetta Networks in order to deliver a truly unique 5G Test Network and we are very excited to create the world’s first public 5G experience.”
“We are thrilled to be able to offer the public the chance to examine next generation wireless connectivity through these experimental events – we have asked artists, researchers and creatives to produce bold new works which explore the capability and potential of 5G and the result is the Layered Realities Weekend 5G Showcase,” adds Clare Reddington, Creative Director, Watershed. “Technology and culture are inseparable – the Layered Realities weekend explores not only how artists might push the possibilities of 5G, but also explore how this technology might fit into the lives of people in new and transformative ways.”
For further information and to get tickets (which are free) head to the Layered Realities Weekender 5G showcase website. And for the latest updates on 5G’s VR benefits, keep reading VRFocus.
