2022 Hong Kong Arts Festival - Jockey Club InnoArts Series：SHH - Virtual RealityHong Kong Arts Festival
Heartfelt human stories in face of a global pandemic
A combined interactive live theatre/VR experience
Since COVID-19 first emerged and left its indelible mark on history more than two years ago, the world has experienced separation and isolation but also togetherness in unprecedented ways. Set against the context of the global pandemic, this two-part live theatre/VR experience takes the audience on an extraordinary emotional journey, in which common people fighting the pandemic lose loved ones while dealing with a range of social, personal and interpersonal issues.
Ceremonial and empathetic, SHH leverages the combined power of live theatre and virtual reality to create a unique sense of hyper-realism and poignancy. Acclaimed Shanghai XR (extended reality) artist Zhang Daming and her expert team employed advanced 3-D modelling technology to produce a heartfelt, immersive VR film involving a nurse fighting the pandemic - every breath taken by the characters is felt, every blare of the siren puts the audience on alert.
Award-winning Hong Kong artist, playwright, actress and theatre director Santayana Li (Journey to Home, 2012 HKAF) will also appear as a performer, guiding the audience through a dialogue full of death and consolation. Together with the audience, she will stare at the aftermath of the pandemic directly in the face, with the hope of providing solace to many of us.
SHH deals with issues deeply personal to all Hong Kong people, while at the same time recognising the global nature of the pandemic.
• Latecomers will not be admitted
• Recommended for ages 12 and above
• It is highly recommended to seek medical advice to participate in the programme if you are pregnant or experiencing pre-existing medical conditions such as psychiatric disorders, heart diseases, epilepsy, motion sickness, claustrophobia, hypertension, vision abnormalities, or are feeling unwell. Audience is advised to monitor their medical and physical conditions to ensure that their health conditions are suitable for participating in the programme.
• Free seating
• Approx. 40 mins with no interval
• Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the performance starts for testing the VR headset.
• Performed in Cantonese and Putonghua, with Chinese and English surtitles for the VR experience only
• If you feel unwell during the VR experience, please seek assistance from staff immediately
• To avoid disturbing the other members of the audience and the performance, if you must leave the auditorium during the programme, please wait until a suitable break for readmission as instructed by the venue management.
• All the content of works are independently produced by the organiser/creative team, and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Series nor the Sponsor.
Tickets available from 30 August 2022 (Tuesday) at 10:00am.