Online conference
Curious Alice: the VR experience
22.10.2020
Online conference
Curious Alice: the VR experience
22.10.2020
Curious Alice invites audiences to tumble down the rabbit hole and embark on a mind-bending trip into Wonderland through the playful dimension of virtual reality (VR). This new VR experience is the result of an innovative partnership between the V&A and HTC Vive Arts, featuring original artworks by Icelandic illustrator Kristjana S Williams. Produced by creative agency Preloaded and the V&A, the experience presents a fully immersive, interactive re-imagining of Wonderland, celebrating one of the most iconic and inspiring stories of all time – the subject of the V&A's major 2021 exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser.
The VR launch event
Taking place live on 22 October 2020, the V&A will host an immersive virtual reality event, providing a sneak preview of the forthcoming Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition, and launching the Curious Alice VR experience. Guided by exhibition curator Kate Bailey, this performative event will explore the five sections within the exhibition. Embracing the dreamlike qualities of the classic novel, the setting will transform and adapt throughout the event, including live visual effects. Participants will be able to join the event as avatars, interacting with one another in VR.
The preview event is free to attend through Engage, a global VR Platform. Audiences will be able to participate with or without a VR headset, using a Windows PC or Android device or join through the V&A's YouTube, where a recorded live will be available to watch.
The at-home VR experience Curious Alice will be available for users to download through VIVEPORT directly after the event on 22 October 2020, as well as through other major online VR platforms, at a cost of £3.99.
Curious Alice – the VR experience
From rabbit holes to psychedelic mushrooms, flamingoes to hedgehogs, Wonderland is the perfect world to explore in virtual reality. Curious Alice encourages audiences to reward their curiosity by navigating a fantastical landscape, interacting with the book's famous characters and completing a series of curious challenges. Race against the clock to capture the White Rabbit's missing glove; solve the Caterpillar's mind-bending riddles; defeat the Queen of Hearts in a curious game of croquet.
Curious Alice will be available to download through VIVEPORT and experience at home from 22 October 2020. Visitors to the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition will be able to experience a shorter version, A Curious Game of Croquet, via VR headsets within the gallery.
The VR experience has been produced by Preloaded and the V&A, supported by HTC Vive Arts. It features the beautifully surreal Victorian-esque illustrations of Kristjana S Williams, a long-term collaborator with the V&A. Originally commissioned for the V&A's exhibition publication, Kristjana's eye-popping collaged landscapes make the perfect aesthetic to explore Wonderland in a new dimension.
