MORTALITIES grants you access to the underworld. The companion of Death takes you by the hand, and carefully you step out onto a long, creaking bridge and walk to the other side. The virtual reality opera MORTALITIES is a new opera format. Four guests are let in at a time for this exclusive experience, which is both physical and virtual. After an entering ritual, you physically walk around in a big live installation where a multisensorial death opera is taking place. Inspired by necroaesthetic aspects of death, the artistic team has developed six versions of death which you get to try. You travel through the cold, the heavy, the dirty, the distorted and get close to the full decomposition – before life rises from the ashes again. MORTALITIES premiered in August 2023 at Sort/Hvid theatre at Copenhagen Opera Festival. In this presentation Rebekka talks about how she got the idea of creating a virtual reality opera – combining new technology with opera. She also talks about the process and how it was developed step by step. Finally, she relates the opera to her own research into the potential of Virtual Reality for theatre project.
Concept & Artistic Direction: Rebekka Sofie Bohse Meyer
Composition of Electronic Music, Choir & Voices: Søs Gunver Ryberg
Visual Artist / Design of Environment and Characters / Animation & Choreography: Ninna Steen
Libretto: Ursula Andkjær Olsen
VR Development: Mannd
VR Production: Maria Herholdt Engermann
VR Lead Technic: Jeppe Jost Etzerodt
3D Modelling & 3D Animation: Quad Studio
Audio Implementation & Sound Effects: Frederik La Cour
VFX Artist: Bastian Leonhardt Strube
Vocal Recording Engineer: Oliver Matthew Volz
Text Consultants: Katrine Jensen & Orien Longo
Costume: Winnie Christiansen & Maria Ipsen
Mask Design & Production: Trine Thulstrup
Props: Niels Lau Nielsen
Producer: Lars Vind-Andersen
Stage Managing: Signe Thornberg
Communications: Emilie Marie Pedersen
Live Singers: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Katinka Marie Frida, Bohse Meyer & Kirsten Voss
Singers: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Kirsten Voss, Stephen Yeseta, Mathias Monrad Møller & Mikkel Tuxen
Acknowledgements: Mikkel Krause Frantzen, Jakob Matzen, Mixr lab, Niimblr, Artfreq Studio, Pavillion K, Jeremy Payne-Frank, Tine Meyer, Sofie Mietke & Mika Yunus Berger
Funding: Statens Kunstfond, Bikubenfonden, Augustinus Fonden, William Demant Fonden, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden, Dansk Komponistforening, Dansk Skuespillerforbund & Dansk Solistforbund
Rebekka Sofie Bohse Meyer is the artistic director of Jakobe Performing Arts. The company creates and produces immersive and experimenting performances with sound and new technology. With her musical background, sound lies at the core of her work, having worked with spatial sound, generative sound and sounds for A.I. This has further led to her interest in new technology and research into the immersive qualities of virtual reality. Recently, she has combined sound, performance and new technology into the VR opera MORTALITIES. Furthermore, Bohse Meyer curates the interdisciplinary and performative exhibition space platform BUNKER in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her new work explores LARP and gaming for opera & music experiences.
MORTALITIES grants you access to the underworld. The companion of Death takes you by the hand, and carefully you step out onto a long, creaking bridge and walk to the other side. The virtual reality opera MORTALITIES is a new opera format. Four guests are let in at a time for this exclusive experience, which is both physical and virtual. After an entering ritual, you physically walk around in a big live installation where a multisensorial death opera is taking place. Inspired by necroaesthetic aspects of death, the artistic team has developed six versions of death which you get to try. You travel through the cold, the heavy, the dirty, the distorted and get close to the full decomposition – before life rises from the ashes again. MORTALITIES premiered in August 2023 at Sort/Hvid theatre at Copenhagen Opera Festival. In this presentation Rebekka talks about how she got the idea of creating a virtual reality opera – combining new technology with opera. She also talks about the process and how it was developed step by step. Finally, she relates the opera to her own research into the potential of Virtual Reality for theatre project.
Concept & Artistic Direction: Rebekka Sofie Bohse Meyer
Composition of Electronic Music, Choir & Voices: Søs Gunver Ryberg
Visual Artist / Design of Environment and Characters / Animation & Choreography: Ninna Steen
Libretto: Ursula Andkjær Olsen
VR Development: Mannd
VR Production: Maria Herholdt Engermann
VR Lead Technic: Jeppe Jost Etzerodt
3D Modelling & 3D Animation: Quad Studio
Audio Implementation & Sound Effects: Frederik La Cour
VFX Artist: Bastian Leonhardt Strube
Vocal Recording Engineer: Oliver Matthew Volz
Text Consultants: Katrine Jensen & Orien Longo
Costume: Winnie Christiansen & Maria Ipsen
Mask Design & Production: Trine Thulstrup
Props: Niels Lau Nielsen
Producer: Lars Vind-Andersen
Stage Managing: Signe Thornberg
Communications: Emilie Marie Pedersen
Live Singers: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Katinka Marie Frida, Bohse Meyer & Kirsten Voss
Singers: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Kirsten Voss, Stephen Yeseta, Mathias Monrad Møller & Mikkel Tuxen
Acknowledgements: Mikkel Krause Frantzen, Jakob Matzen, Mixr lab, Niimblr, Artfreq Studio, Pavillion K, Jeremy Payne-Frank, Tine Meyer, Sofie Mietke & Mika Yunus Berger
Funding: Statens Kunstfond, Bikubenfonden, Augustinus Fonden, William Demant Fonden, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden, Dansk Komponistforening, Dansk Skuespillerforbund & Dansk Solistforbund
Rebekka Sofie Bohse Meyer is the artistic director of Jakobe Performing Arts. The company creates and produces immersive and experimenting performances with sound and new technology. With her musical background, sound lies at the core of her work, having worked with spatial sound, generative sound and sounds for A.I. This has further led to her interest in new technology and research into the immersive qualities of virtual reality. Recently, she has combined sound, performance and new technology into the VR opera MORTALITIES. Furthermore, Bohse Meyer curates the interdisciplinary and performative exhibition space platform BUNKER in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her new work explores LARP and gaming for opera & music experiences.
