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19th – 29th Sept

VR exhibition by Celine Daemen as part of Sonica Festival

Online identities take on new life in Celine Daemen’s VR opera Songs for a Passerby. Don a headset and follow a 3-D scanned version of yourself as it makes its way through a shadowy cityscape where wild dogs roam, a hushed choir sings, a horse faces a dire fate. Daemen’s work raises an uncanny question. Who is the real you – the animated avatar that encounters these set-pieces, or the consciousness observing its movements from afar? Are you implicated or involved in your avatar’s adventures, or just a passerby?

Songs for a Passerby premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2023, where it won the Venice Immersive Grand Prize.

Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Performing Arts Fund NL, the Netherlands Film Fund and Creative Industries Fund NL.

Running time: 30 mins
11:00 – 21:00
Closed Monday

The VR opera has an age recommendation of N/C 14+. It contains strobe effects, flashing lights, loud or sudden noises, nudity, offensive language and images of dead animals.

Direction: Celine Daemen
VR art direction: Aron Fels
Music & sound composition: Asa Horvitz
Libretto: Olivier Herter
Sound & mix: Wouter Snoei
Production: Silbersee
In co-production with: Studio Nergens, VIA ZUID and Muziekgebouw Productiehuis

Sonica Glasgow is an 11-day biennial festival dedicated to world-class audiovisual art produced by Cryptic (est. 1994). We present the best of UK talent alongside exceptional international artists, taking place across the city in numerous venues exploring visual music, sonic and digital arts in collaboration with renowned co-producers and venues exploring visual music, sonic and digital arts.

This edition takes place Glasgow-wide from 19-29 September 2024.