Immersive Seeds: Once Upon a Rainforest Tree
Seeds. Universes summarized into atoms. Atoms expanding into universes. Zoom Ins and Zoom Outs that we tend to forget, rediscover, reinvent. I was always fascinated with the potentiality of a seed across species. Beginnings and ends compressed into essence.
Immersive experiences are renown for placing their explorers into a state of elevated presence and empathy, however their impact can be exponentially higher. “Tree” (directed by Milica Zec) is a short VR experience where you inhabit a rainforest tree from the seed stage into adulthood. Your humanhood turns into tree-hood, while repurposing “your arms as branches” and “your body as the trunk”. However, after a process of evolutive growth, while everything seems peaceful and harmonious in the heart of the remote forest, in less than an instant, the epic growth of the tree-protagonist is brutally stopped by an anonymous human force, portraying the over-common process of deforestation.
The piece was commissioned by the Rainforest Alliance as an awareness tool to advocate for rainforest preservation as a measure against the climate crisis. The VR installation was elevated by sensorial extensions such as powerful winds, forest smells or haptics which transported you into an out-of-this-world dimension. However, it was not the technological ride that felt primarily magical to me, but the conceptual one. We, humans, more often encourage exchanges with other cultures, however we rarely encourage a perspective shift with other species.
In a context where nature holds more than 99% of Planet Earth, perhaps it is a great time to ask ourselves: how can we enrich and expand the planetary spirit, rather than diminish it? How would our planet look like if we would regard it from the perspectives of other species as well? Can we co-exist organically with other species in a habitat designed for all needs? How could our villages or cities look like if truly inclusive with other species of plants and animals? Finally, how can we plant seeds for meaningful long-term values, rather than consumerist short-term milestones in the midst of our societies?
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*The VR experience premiered in Sundance IFF and I had the chance to experience it during VR ON THE LOT while in Los Angeles, in 2017.
