Salsa, Reggaeton, Cumbia in VR? Latinx vibes hit Oculus Launchpad 2018
Music is the universal language. An abstract, yet visceral phenomenon of human creation we’ll never be without. For my project at Oculus Launchpad this year, I’ll be working with some amazing musicians, muralists, 3D modelers, and creative technologists to explore identity and develop fun ways to learn and experience some of the heaviest beats in the world.
We’ll take you aboard a mythical subway that stops at different musical experiences. You may be dropped off in Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago where you’ll learn a ting about steel pan music. Or at a recording studio in Mexico City with electronic afro latin artists, Sotomayor. The goal is to have fun, learn about different cultures, and play instruments!
Storyliving in VR
Through ethnographic 360º VR, 3D animated vignettes, and interactive musical games, the audience gains contextual knowledge of where genres come from, who the music makers are, why they make music, how audiences interact and participate in the musical event, and many other ethnomusicological topics.
Strategic Parnters
Our team is currently working with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles to explore immersive media through the murals of Oaxacan collective, Tlacololokos. We believe the Foundation’s effort to create meaningful dialogue about the Latino community is not only exemplary through the use of audio and visual exibits, but also in their inclusion of less represented groups within the diaspora.
The Department of Ethnomusicology at UCLA is another group we’ll be working with to accurately present the musicology and instrumental techniques of different communities from the gaitas of Colombia, to the batucada of Brasil.