MUTEK’s VR Salon, a deep dive into Virtual Reality, Montréal-style
October 1–2 2015 at the Phi Centre, in the heart of Old Montréal
The exciting developments in Virtual Reality and the special place held by Montréal in the VR space led me to develop and co-organize with Alain Mongeau and his MUTEK team the VR Salon, to be held at the Phi Centre on Oct 1–2, 2015. We’re going to showcase the best of VR and offer the largest collection in the world of VR works to the public.
The VR Salon is a forum for creators, technologists, marketers and all those curious about VR’s possibilities.
Below is the preliminary program — more announcements and details will be added in the coming days.
Teaser video for the event:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 | 5:00PM — 9:00PM
The KALEIDOSCOPE EVENT features artist talks and demonstrations from technology partners involved in the traveling Kaleidoscope showcase, which is a part of the VR exhibition taking place at the Phi Centre, as well as a special rendez-vous with various Montréal VR startups. Exclusive access to the exhibition will be reserved for participants of the VR SALON and those who have purchased individual tickets for this event, before opening to the public on Friday and Saturday.
Confirmed speakers include:
MAC CAULEY — Borrowed Light Studios (US)
AVRAM DODSON (US)
VINCENT MORISSET — AATOAA (QC)
RENÉ PINNELL — Kaleidoscope (US)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 | 9:00AM — 9:00PM
The VR SALON CONFERENCE is a day long event exploring the myriad issues involved in VR, bringing together visionary research, innovative technologists, multimedia artistic creators and adventurous production and distribution companies.
9:00am — 12:00pm | The Creative Track: Keynote and Case Studies
Keynote: GREG J. SMITH — HOLO Magazine (CA)
Virtual Reality is shifting the visual creative process by radically transforming the palette of tools available to directors and their team. Greg Smith will talk about the visual revolution driven by VR and its roots. The case studies, by creators hailing from Montréal, New York, London, and Berlin, will each highlight how the creative was influenced by the new boundaries of VR.
Confirmed speakers:
ANDRÉ LAUZON — Cirque du Soleil (QC)
ROBIN MCNICHOLAS — Marshmallow Laser Feast (UK)
DUNCAN RANSOM — The Endless (US)
LOÏC SUTY — Turbulent (QC)
PHILIPP WENNING — invr.space (DE)
SIMON WILKINSON — CiRCA69 (UK)
12:00pm — 1:30pm | Networking Luncheon (included for ticket holders)
1:30pm — 4:15pm | The Technology Track: Introduction and Case Studies
360 degree video, binaural sound, streaming of very large files, the combination of the physical and virtual worlds: all of these challenges need to be met in VR in the production phase. Our speakers, based in Paris, Montréal and New York will share their current and upcoming technology endeavors. Confirmed speakers include:
FÉLIX ARGUILLÈRE — AC3 — VR Studio (FR)
NICOLAS BURTEY — VideoStitch (FR)
VANDER CABALLERO — Minority Media (QC)
CASEY HANCOCK — eevo (US)
HUGH MCGRORY — Datavized (US)
4:30pm — 6:00pm | The Industry Track: Roundtable
The VR industry is still in its infancy but is growing rapidly, the roundtable discussion will focus on the issues of VR headset adoption rates, distribution platforms, and how webVR ie the ability to experience VR on your mobile phone or computer is a worthwhile gateway.
Moderator: FRÉDÉRIC GUARINO — Mediabiz International (QC)
Confirmed speakers include:
ALEJANDRO DINSMORE — eevo (US)
SÖNKE KIRCHHOF — reallifefilm international (DE)
ALEX ROSENFELD — Vrideo (US)
6:00pm — 9:00pm | Networking Cocktail (open to all)
Come explore Virtual Reality with us !
To find out more:
As a committed Virtual Reality explorer and enthusiast I’ve tracked and written over the past 2 years about the potential creative upheaval the (re)birth of Virtual Reality could bring us. VR is poised to be the next tech and entertainment battleground, it got the most buzz at Sundance this past January, and it’s shaping up to be the next go-to platform for developers, marketers and creators. Although Oculus re-ignited the VR industry, mobile VR is looking like the most promising medium at the moment. The possibilities of VR abound and some of the most compelling are in the creative space, as storytelling is being reinvented, just as it was with the birth of cinema.
