as Big as the Sky
installation expo
immersive gallery exhibition of the original opera
from the early beginning of the design process, Ai Weiwei suggested that in addition to performing the opera in his set, we put it on display in museums or galleries, making the opera accessible to a larger audience.
In May 2016, the New Institute and OperaDagen Rotterdam premiered this special and all new version of the opera, a gallery installation of Weiwei's set, with his film projected on and through it, together with the 'Rock Screen' prop by Studio MVTH&V on which selected scenes from the opera are projected.
Together the large set and the rock screen create an audio visual opera environment one can freely wander around in. The total duration is 40 minutes, and plays in a constant loop.
installation photos by Petra van der Ree
immersive 2.0 version
Recently Arnoud has been working on a new audio-only virtual reality technique for use in a new music theatre project. This tech could well be used to deepen the immersive feeling of the As Big as the Sky installation. You put on a set of headphones and wander through the large gallery space, Weiwei’s giant set sculpture floating ominously, suspended in mid air. The instrumental music accompanying Weiwei’s film scenes projected on the sculpture, surrounds you, as if you are right in the middle of the orchestra performing it, walking in between the instruments. Some are near and more clearly audible, and as you walk on, you encounter others more clearly—as you walk, you compose your own version of the music.
Several ‘rock art blocks’—the set props that look like old Chines sholars rock formations—display the video image of one of the characters of the original opera. And as you come near one of them, the orchestra around you fades out and you enter their aria. Each character has a set of arias depicting their feelings and ambitions, except for Wu Cai, the greedy billionaire—played by Ai Weiwei himself—who is just boosting his commercial greatness.
This installation would run in a continuous loop. For as long as you like, you wander through it, in and out of the solo arias, and composing the entire story as you move through the space.
This version hasn’t been created yet. It’s in the pipeline, pending the special VR headphone technology currently under construction.
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