When music becomes a means of survival.
Human Violins - Prelude begins with a real historical premise: before being taken to the camps, many Jewish people were allowed to bring one object with them. Some chose their violin. For some, the instrument became a means of survival. For others, it remained a witness to a life and a world that had been lost.
The experience follows the fictional story of Alma, a 15-year-old violin lover trapped in a world of terror. Music opens an inner space in which she can find freedom, while the participant is invited to play and carry her legacy forward.
In this VR world, space is more than a backdrop. The wires surrounding Alma can be transformed into instruments, and the participant’s gestures move the story forward. The experience gradually travels from noise to music, from confinement to liberation, and from listening to creation.
Without dialogue, Human Violins - Prelude uses image, sound and interaction to explore memory, resilience and art’s ability to keep a story alive.
Ioana Mischie
Ioana Mischie is a transmedia artist, writer, filmmaker and futurist whose practice spans cinema, virtual reality and emerging forms of storytelling. A graduate of UNATC and a Fulbright alumna of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, her projects have been presented at more than 250 international festivals, including Cannes and the Venice Biennale. Through works such as Human Violins, Tangible Utopias and Government of Children, she explores how technology can create participatory worlds and new forms of cinematic expression.
Human Violins - Prelude received the European XR Award for Best Art Direction and was presented in the immersive selections at Venice and Cannes.