Commissioned by the IOTA Institute
the wide sky – an archive
Liz Solo’s “The Wide Sky” is a VR installation and machinima series based on the fragmented memories of a scientist desperately trying to make sense of her deteriorating world. “During a recent archaeological dig into the deep future, researchers discovered a damaged memory sphere embedded in the floor of an uninhabited forest planet. Though much of the sphere was corrupted, some of the data was retrievable. This Archive documents the artifacts that were recovered.”
Often recognizable for its use of Second Life aesthetics, machinima takes on a video game ideology by creating an online space with a defined structure and goal for its participant, but interrupts this traditional gaming relationship through unexpected interventions that challenge the built environments’ social and political infrastructure. Users can view the story in linear time or opt for the interactive timeline and be presented with a choice at the end of every video, generating alternative outcomes. Visitors may enter the space, customize their avatar, interact with props and experience the video narrative via screens inside each digital space.
ABOUT IOTA
IOTA is an Invigorator of unconventional artistic and social practices, focusing on art forms based in technology, social interventions, and life science. IOTA has three distinct wings: INSTITUTE for research, INTRA for public interventions and STUDIOS for the support of its roster of artists. IOTA: DATA runs under the INSTITUTE’s research projects. http://www.IOTAinstitute.com
Read an essay on the work by Isabelle Arvers:
This project is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.