How do we take a highly politicised issue that sparks unjustified panic over toilets and called a ‘gender debate’ by the media… and turn it into something intimate, fun, human, relatable and technologically innovative? That was my initial motivation in conceiving this experience.
All four voices featured are friends of mine in Bristol (in fact, I’ve got to know them so much better through doing this), so the tone of the audio is one of talking to a friend, not just to an anonymous documentary interviewer. They have helped, donated and tested at different stages of the project, making this personal and specific to us and yet (I hope) universal enough for any non-queer, non-trans person to gain better understanding of nonbinary identities and expressions and to reflect on how they feel and present to the world.
There has never been a documentary mixed reality piece quite like this – one that mixes intimate audio interviews with colourful hand-drawn interactive animations in an AR headset within a physical set that requires the audience to dress up, touch the furniture and use their body as a controller to decide on the pace and flow of the experience.
This piece is a provocation for what mixed reality installations and performances could be: not soulless, photorealistic holograms appearing on any table top but meaningful stories programmed around specific objects. Stories range from whimsical and fun to serious and contemplative. Through getting to know each character in the setting of a bedroom, you also have an opportunity to reflect on yourself.
– Rob