Living the Story: A Cinematic Odyssey in Immersive Art

Andrew Jamieson’s insightful essay, “Strategies of Immersion,” not only expands our understanding of immersive experiences but also mirrors my own cinematic evolution in surprising ways. Like Jamieson, my journey into the world of immersive entertainment wasn’t planned; it grew organically from a deep-seated passion for filmmaking and a lifelong quest to capture those elusive “movie moments” that define our perception of presence and reality.

From Viewer to Creator

Growing up, movies were not just entertainment; they were windows to worlds I longed to experience firsthand. This fascination led me to create Moment Factory, where I aimed to dissolve the traditional barriers of the screen, crafting an environment where lighting, smoke, decor, and projections coalesce into a seamless, living narrative. In these spaces, the distinction between video and reality blurs, allowing me, and the audience, to step into the movie, to live within the frame of cinematic magic, live.

ALL WE HAVE IS NOW: A Movie within a Play within a Movie...

My first immersive play, ALL WE HAVE IS NOW, draws parallels with Sartre’s No Exit, trapping characters, and the audience, within the confines of a movie. As the director, I orchestrated an experience that appeared 85% improvised to the audience, yet was in reality meticulously planned. This project included embedding actors among the spectators, seamlessly blurring the lines between performance and participation, and ultimately shattering the fourth wall. The result was a profound communal bond, a melding of lives and stories where the conclusion of the play was merely the beginning of a collective journey.

https://vimeo.com/326994398

The play’s stage extended well beyond the walls of NOMAD. I created city-wide graffiti on the sidewalks, painting the phrase “ALL WE HAVE IS NOW” in vibrant, rainbow hues akin to the TV colour bars adorning our building. Subsequently, I gifted tickets to the show to individuals who shared photos of the graffiti online using the hashtag #ALLWEHAVEISNOW, something they did completely of their own accord, with no instruction to do so. Discovering hundreds of these images, I distributed hundreds of tickets to unsuspecting attendees, who, led by their intuition, found themselves part of an unpredictable, transformative experience. As the performances unfolded, the cast organically expanded, with audience members eagerly joining the troupe. This venture transcended mere immersion, evolving into a living, breathing narrative.

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NOMADslow.tv: The Eternal Film

The pandemic inadvertently granted the respite needed as ALL WE HAVE IS NOW demanded an extensive crew and intense energy from me. After more than 24 performances, the break was a welcome one. It was during this period of introspection and redirection that I launched NOMADslow.tv - a stream of consciousness that offers a window into an idealized version of reality, one I envision as Heaven on Earth. This platform presents a narrative without beginning or end; it is a perpetual present, expressed through images and music gleaned from my travels and experiences.

https://youtu.be/cTtvqQln-zU?si=FgU6T2o0Pis4Kf96

With NOMADslow.tv, I aim to fully immerse myself in my movie, intertwining my life with my films and vice versa. The channel continuously surrounds me, playing not only at NOMAD but also at home, crafting a world of my own design. This is a deliberate choice to eschew the conflict-laden media that often skew our perception of the world. Instead, I choose to showcase the world as the best it can be through my endless movie on NOMADslow.tv.

A Revelation Through LSD: ANTENNAE

My explorations with LSD introduced me to entirely new dimensions of immersion. The first time I experienced LSD, on December 30th, 2022, at my Stanstead home, I found myself feeling as if I were navigating through the video game of my own life, a sensation deeply resonant with my lifelong pursuit of embedding myself within my cinematic creations. Motivated by this profound connection, I embarked on a three month journey of weekly sessions, a deep dive into the potentials of LSD-enhanced immersion. During these experiments, I discovered that my NOMADslow.tv films provided the perfect backdrop for these altered states, enhancing the immersive experience.

This journey of discovery culminated in the creation of ANTENNAE. In this new project, a large mirror faces a back projection screen, capturing the silhouettes of participants as they dance and interact to the sounds of improvised music played by a diverse ensemble of musicians. ANTENNAE, by swapping the scripted elements of ALL WE HAVE IS NOW for music, fosters an environment that is simultaneously more effortless, enjoyable, and profoundly immersive. As participants let the music guide them, the experience becomes divinely inspired.

https://youtu.be/xq0JYpnZ7cI?si=EseN7Vffh7nurOwg

ANTENNAE is a modern interpretation of Plato’s allegory of the cave, transforming reality into shadows cast against a screen, empowering us to mold this reality with our bodies, creativity, and spirits. The central message - “WE ARE ALL ANTENNAE” - is visually represented by projecting images of antennas I’ve captured across the globe onto the mirror facing screen. This setup allows attendees to see themselves reflected within the unfolding narrative, blending their outlines with those of others and effectively erasing the boundaries between observer and participant.

The Essence of NOW at NOMAD

At NOMAD, we paint our philosophy on the walls, literally and figuratively. The TV colour bars across the facade of our building symbolize that entering NOMAD is like stepping inside a screen, into a movie, into the NOW. Here, we are LIVE. ANTENNAE and all our projects are not just about watching a story unfold; they are about living it, about being fully immersed in the moment, engaged and alive.

Connecting Theory and Practice

Reading Andrew’s essay was a reflective exercise, placing my intuitive artistic and spiritual endeavours within a more structured, theoretical framework. It’s fascinating to see how my methods align with established immersive strategies, pushing the boundaries of cinema and experience in ways that are both intuitively innovative and deeply personal.

I encourage everyone interested in the future of immersive entertainment and cinema to delve into the theories Andrew presents. They not only enrich our understanding of engagement and presence but also challenge us to reimagine the potential of storytelling. At NOMAD, we continue to explore these themes, inviting all to participate not just as audience members but as integral parts of a living, evolving cinematic tapestry. Join us, either as a coworking member, at an ANTENNAE (every full moon!), or by renting the studio for your own endeavour, and become part of a story that you help to tell, a movie that you live, in the eternal NOW.