Too Close For Comfort
I have always been skeptical about VR and its potential to evoke empathy, but before recently, I had never experienced it for myself. The Sidra Project paid a visit to Ryerson University last week, allowing me to try on a Samsung VR headset for the first time. Created by Gabo Arora and Chris Milk in collaboration with the United Nations and Artscape, Clouds Over Sidra takes the viewer inside a Jordanian refugee camp through the eyes of 12-year-old Sidra.
Having watched the film beforehand on my computer without VR gear, I was curious to compare the film’s impact once I was brought closer into their reality. While I believe the intentions behind The Sidra Project are positive and inspirational, the 360-degree virtual experience left me feeling uneasy.
Aside from the physical discomfort of having a brightly lit screen a few inches from my eyes, I also felt a sense of intrusion. As the inhabitants of the refugee camp interact with the camera as a foreign object, I am constantly reminded of my presence, perhaps unwanted, into their homes. The position of the camera also reiterates a power dynamic between the subjects and viewers. I find myself looking down as children surround me; are they asking for help or just intrigued by a shiny object in the middle of their football field?
Creating awareness of the refugee crisis and inciting action has never been more important. Milk’s use of VR as an “empathy machine” has the potential to do that, but I do not think we can rely on technology alone. In a TED Talk early this year, Milk takes the audience through a powerful collective VR experience. Using VR headsets, viewers embark on a cinematic journey accompanied by the live music of Joshua Roman and McKenzie Stubbert. Perhaps the integration of music into the visual experience can account for the overall impact of VR. In the case of Clouds Over Sidra, if the filmmakers had focused on the viewing environment itself beyond the confines of the headset, perhaps the impact of the film could have been even greater.
