Jean Michel Jarre VR Concert Brings People Together

On June 21st Jean Michel Jarre held a VR concert to send a message to the public and the entire music industry that “Whether in the real or virtual world, music and live performance have a value, the recognition and sustainability of which is vital for millions of creators.”

I wasn’t able to catch the live stream but there is a video of the nearly hour long performance available and it looks amazing. Obviously there is no interactivity or agency as it is just a video but it must have been a pretty amazing experience.

Commodore 64 VR

I've spoken enthusiastically about VR and how it was changing the future but one creative person has used VR to change the past. 64jim64 has hacked together the VR64 headset, a VR headset for the 34 year old computer. The project outputs video from the computer, and 64jim64 has created his own game with stereoscopic depth built in to show off his home designed VR headset. Check out the video below as he explains what he has created and details how he achieved those results, it's all rather fascinating stuff!

Björk Digital Exhibition

Somerset House are hosting Björk Digital, an exhibition showcasing some of the avant-garde musicians digital and video media, featuring her collaborations with some of the world’s finest visual artists and programmers. The exhibition, which runs from from 1st September - 23rd October, is a celebration of her incredible three-decade long career. The Bjork celebration will culminate with a special, one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 21st September.

The exhibition will feature virtual reality (VR) and an interactive educational area, where her innovative apps (such as Biophilia) and custom-made musical instruments will be on show. Most excitedly I am looking forward to viewing Black Lake, an immersive film featuring panoramic visuals and a bespoke, cutting edge surround-sound system. If it is anything like the other work Bjork has done I'm sure it will be exciting, intriguing and powerful. I'm hoping to see the exhibition over the Summer and will be purchasing tickets for the concert too, all of which will be shared here!