Sensory Stories - The future of story telling at MoMI

How stories are told has been defined and redefined over years. From grandma's tales, to stage, to TV, to cinema, to 3D... the evolution is ongoing. The next step to that is VR - Virtual Reality. A headset consisting of a goggles and earphones, that puts you in middle of the action, with 360 degree view. If you have never experienced VR, this may blow your mind. Sitting in middle of a lake, with a tarin approaching, or in middle of mountains with a tribal singing, or in middle of the refugee camp in Jordan, with Sidra. Each is an exhilarating but different experience. Being immersed in the story, than just watching it from outside, makes you feel part of the story and feel it at a much closer level.

Sensory Stories was conceived and organized by FutureofStorytelling – an annual summit and community platform that draws leaders from the worlds of media, technology, and communications to explore how stories are changing in the digital age. Presented by Museum of the Moving Image and the Future of StoryTelling, the exhibition reveals how an emerging group of artists and companies are using innovative digital techniques to change the way audiences experience storytelling. The exhibition, which includes virtual-reality experiences, interactive films, participatory installations, and new touch responsive interfaces, opened on April 18, 2015, and will be on view through July 26, 2015, at the Museum. 

“Technology has driven the evolution of moving image entertainment since the invention of film,” said Carl Goodman, the Museum’s Executive Director. “Today, new technologies and interfaces aim to bring the body, mind, and senses into a new relationship with the moving image, one which eliminates the gap between the real and the virtual, the physical and the digital. We asked Future of Storytelling to develop an exhibition for the Museum because of their unique expertise in these important developments.”

Sensory Stories invites visitors to participate in narratives that merge traditional storytelling with groundbreaking new technologies, incorporating full-body immersion, and interaction that includes sight, hearing, touch, even smell. Charles Melcher, Founder and Director of FoST and co-curator of the exhibition, said, “At its heart Sensory Stories celebrates how new technologies are bringing us back into our bodies, allowing us to experience stories in immersive and powerful ways that remind us of the sensory joy of being alive.”

For more information, visit:

http://www.movingimage.us/exhibitions/2015/04/18/detail/sensory-stories-an-exhibition-of-new-narrative-experiences/

The exhibition is traveling to the Phi Centre in Montreal, where it will be on view from August 11- September 27.

https://phi-centre.com/en/events/id/FoST 

About Future of StoryTelling (FoST) 

The Future of StoryTelling is an annual summit and community platform that draws leaders from the worlds of media, technology, and communications to explore how stories are changing in the digital age. In addition to the summit (October 7-8), FoST produces a daily blog, a weekly online speaker series, a monthly newsletter, quarterly influencer salons, international technology exhibitions and showcases, the FoST Prize for Innovation in Storytelling, and dozens of short films highlighting the big ideas shaping the storytelling landscape. For more information, visit futureofstorytelling.org

About Museum of the Moving Image

Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facilities—acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design—the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings of Museum of the Moving Image Page 6 significant works; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and education programs which serve more than 50,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.

New York’s Hidden Treasures

The Big Apple has a variety of hidden treasures to unveil...

The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge are the kind of New York landmarks every person on earth is aware of. But the Big Apple is full of a variety of hidden spots that are remarkably inspiring in diverse fields, from street art to science, going through music and urban landscape. 

This is a selection of just a few of these city treasures that myNewYorkeye invites you to discover. 

 

Freedom Tunnel 

The Amtrak Tunnel under Riverside Park got its name because graffiti artist Chris “Freedom” Pape used the area to create some of his most outstanding artwork. But the name is also emblematic in reference to the former shantytowns built within the tunnel by homeless populations seeking for shelter. The tunnel was built in the thirties by Robert Moses, to expand park space for Upper West Siders; whereas today it’s the haven of  graffiti artists, where fortunately the murals remain mostly untouched. 

 

Strawberry Fields

“Strawberry Fields Forever” is the Beatles’s song (written by John Lennon), that was inspired by Lennon’s memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army children’s home near his hometown Liverpool, called Strawberry Fields. Central Park decided to tribute the British artist through this memorial that was designed by landscape architect Bruce Kelly, under the supervision of New York Mayor Ed Koch and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. The entrance to the memorial is at West 72nd Street, across the Dakota Apartments, where John and Yoko lived together (Ono still lives there). The best moment of the year to visit is on Lennon's birthday (October 9th) or on the anniversary of his death (December 8th), when people gather to sing to homage him. 

Rat Island

Do not be deceived by the name: this is not an island overrun by rats. But it is an island totally deprived of life. Rat Island is a privately owned island in New York (part of the Pelhalm Islands), located between City Island, Hart Island and High Island. It was once used as a lieu of quarantine at the beginning of the 19th century, it later became a mini colony for writers and artists in the early 20th century. After spending years gazing from his City Island backyard Alex Schibli bought Rat Island in 2011 at auction for $160,000, with the goal of preserving its beauty. 

Columbia University Nuclear Reactor

If you happen to be a student at Columbia University, you should ask someone to bring you down into the tunnels of the school, which leads to the nuclear reactor. This large and heavy experimental plasma vessel is located on the second floor of the Engineering Building of the Ivy League School. It was built during the Cold War, however it was never fueled or operated. The related instruments were donated to other institutions and today, the only thing that remains at Columbia is the concrete shell of the reactor.