Scarecrow VRC by the K-Arts AT Lab Wins in Raindance Immersive 2020

A virtual reality content Scarecrow VRC created by the Art and Technology Lab of the Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts AT Lab) won the Spirit of Raindance at the 28^th Raindance Immersive 2020 in the category of Best Multiplayer Experience. The award celebrates the excellence of the content’s experimental spirit and artistic expression as a new medium for virtual reality.

Scarecrow VRC is an adaptation of Scarecrow, a location-based VR performance, which won high press praise after its showcase at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in February. At that time, the VRScout, a US immersive media company that introduces immersive content from around the world, praised Scarecrow as something “simply ahead of time,” describing the experience from it as “one of the most ambitious interactive VR experiences in recent memory.” Meanwhile, Scarecrow VRC is a remote-controlled online version of the original. The users and actors can access the world of Scarecrow VRC via VRChat, a VR platform, from any parts of the world and collaboratively make a fantastic and harmonious performance altogether. This content is the first outcome of the “Leading Research on Advanced Media” by the K-Arts AT Lab.

Regarding Scarecrow VRC, NoProscenium, an immersive theatre online, reviewed, “I weep a little inside the headset. It feels magical just to play and be acknowledged […] At a time when communication over social media seems innately contentious, the inability to gather starves us of much-needed contact, and the return of in-person events can seem impossible, Scarecrow VRC takes it back to what really matters: human connection.” Joanna Popper, the global head of the VR for Location-Based Entertainment at Hewlett-Packard, shared her experience on Twitter, saying, “What a wonderful, interactive, beautiful, hopeful experience and way to stay connected with live play [despite COVID-19].” Yelena Rachitsky, an executive producer of experiences at Oculus, also posted a tweet, “So lovely and abstract. The actor was a magical man, the environments were dreamy and the interactive objects I was able to draw with were [thumbs-up sign]”

As a real-time interactive performance, at Scarecrow VRC, a scarecrow (host actor) and a healer (assistant actor), and two other users who have accessed from anywhere in the world get together, running towards the ending. Their experiences create many touching moments in the virtual world, like watching beautiful shooting stars on the Emerald Field.

The K-Arts AT Lab is a creative production research center that aims for convergence of art, culture, and high technology. And also of industry and education. It researches immersive media, high-tech health care, and artificial intelligence content while collaborating with domestic and international corporates, universities, and research centers.

In 2020, along with Scarecrow sponsored by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), other virtual reality contents adopting different high-tech applications such as networking in Nine VR and three-dimensional space scanning in Rain Fruits received invitations from film festivals from around the world: Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes XR, VRHAM in Amsterdam, Kaoshiung in Taiwan. The AT Lab is now setting the trends in the production and development of realistic media by signing an international distribution contract with Iconic Engine, a global content distributor.

A Link to Raindance Award Winners: https://www.raindanceimmersive.com/awards