Festival Review
James Mottram explores the Venice Immersive Exhibition
“Venice Immersive provides a glimpse into the future of film and much more (…) Appearing at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, (Hi)story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow, directed by Quentin Darras and Gaelle Mourre, is not exactly a film in the traditional sense.”
Festival News
BEST OF IMMERSIVE – OUT OF COMPETITION
(Hi)Story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow was selected as one of ten projects to feature in the Venice Film Festival’s “Best Of Venice Immersive” line up.
Review
“Art Through Lenses: VR Experience Explores the Life and Work of Baroque Painter Artemisia Gentileschi”
“Today’s technology has paved the way for an immersive, interactive kind of storytelling that puts the audience front and center of a story and creates an entirely new perspective (...)”
Review
‘Hypnotic and bursting with life’: VR version of Artemisia Gentileschi’s life
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Guardian’s Jonathan Jones reviews (Hi)Story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow during its exhibition at Burghley House: “This technically perfect and thrillingly flamboyant re-enactment of the extraordinary artist’s life is a great way to discover the pain and triumph of her often savage work”
Exhibition News
Cambridgeshire Live covers (Hi)Story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow exhibition at Burghley House “The immersive exhibition at Burghley House, a grand sixteenth-century country house on the city's outskirts, mixes the old and the new as cutting-edge technology meets Baroque art.” Click here for the full article.
Melvyn Prior Interview with Co-creator Quentin Darras
Quentin speaks to BBC’s Melvyn Prior about HOAP, shares his passion for art history and VR and of course discusses Artemisia Gentileschi’s fascinating story and work. Click here fo the interview and skip to 1:26 if you’re an eager beaver!
AWARD WIN
(Hi)Story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow, won the SXSW 2022 Jury Special Recognition for Immersive Storytelling - “(Hi)story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow receives a Special Jury Recognition for Immersive Storytelling. This experience uses the medium of VR to transport us into history, revealing the story of a lesser known female baroque artist, her resistance to the patriarchy and determination in the face of adversity.”
VOICES OF VR INTERVIEW
Kent Bye interviewed authors Quentin and Gaëlle ahead of their SXSW Jury Recognition for Immersive Storytelling. To listen to their conversation, and find more of Kent’s insightful and engaging interviews, click here.
REVIEW
New XR Experiences Shine At SXSW
“The creators of these experiences are no longer practitioners of other time arts experimenting with a new medium. They are now experienced XR producers and directors with hard won experience and the confidence to wield this new medium in unique and dramatic ways.”
INTERVIEW
SXSW XR: Baroque VR in “The Light in the Shadow”
““The Light in the Shadow" provides an unparalleled interaction with visual art that makes it seem playful and relatable instead of remote and highbrow. Complete with beautifully-crafted, painterly renderings of Italian cities, moments of fantasy and whimsy, and a thoughtful retelling of Gentileschi’s dynamic life story, the program is as entertaining as it is educational.”
XR MUST INTERVIEW
Agnese Pietrobon interviewed Directors, Quentin Darras and Gaëlle Mourre
“Presented at 2022 SXSW, the second episode of (Hi)story of a Painting celebrates the life and art of Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi, using an approach that makes art history more accessible and interesting especially for younger generations.”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH QUENTIN DARRAS, GAËLLE MOURRE, CHARLOTTE MIKKELBORG
“A remarkable immersive experience, with interactive elements, that provokes you to reflect on the story and condition of an iconic woman artist, while at the same time, offers one of the most absorbing art history lessons.”
FUNDING AND FESTIVAL NEWS
(Hi)Story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow will be supported at SXSW by British Council as well as Future Art and Culture at SXSW, which is produced by British Underground with the support of Arts Council England.
FESTIVAL NEWS
SXSW Official In-Competition Selection
Our second episode, “(Hi)Story of a Painting: The Light in the Shadow” will receive its world premiere in competition at SXSW 2022!
FESTIVAL NEWS
NewImages reveals its 2021 XR Financing and Co-Production line up
(Hi)Story of a Painting amongst 41 immersive projects selected for the 3rd edition of the market.
PRESS RELEASE
Further funding announced for three CreativeXR projects which reinvent traditional modes of storytelling
Digital Catapult and Arts Council England have announced further funding for three projects from the 2020 CreativeXR programme, which supports the creation of new cultural experiences using immersive technology. The virtual and augmented reality experiences will receive a total of £189,000, supporting creative professionals across the UK to continue their development.
REVIEW
ScreenAnarchy SXSW XR Highlights
“I very much enjoyed Gaëlle Mourre and Quentin Darras's immersive 6DoF non-interactive art history lesson about Georges Seurat's La Grande Jatte. It doesn't so much take you inside the painting as allow you to really appreciate the painting while learning the artwork's interesting story.”
ARTICLE
How VR Showed Me La Grande Jatte Like Never Before
February 2021
“(…) arguably one of the most immersive and impressive experiences you can see in a headset today.” "(…) an ingenious history lesson that uses immersion and intelligent techniques to paint a history of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. It’s also a powerful showcase of the importance of work like VR incubators like CreativeXR.” "I could easily see an experience such as this helping thousands of people engage with and understand better the art the defines the world’s culture.”
FESTIVAL NEWS
SXSW 2021 Virtual Cinema Line Up
(Hi)story of a Painting’s pilot “What’s the point?” will be receiving its World Premiere at SXSW this March!