murmuration invites us to meet Kanope, a young Nigerian on his way to Europe. In a clever tale between fable and dream, Kanope reaches out to us and draws us into his hopeful journey. Inspired by real-life stories, the narrative is told by minor migrants who arrived in Sicily between 2015 and 2020. A shocking dive into humanity.

In 2022, 159,410 men, women and children arrived in Europe via perilous journeys. While their numbers are lower than in 2015, their journey is increasingly deadly. Death and abuse are all too common along the land routes, across deserts and in remote border areas. From Libya and Tunisia, many attempt to cross the Mediterranean, usually to Italy. Every year, thousands of people perish or disappear at sea without a trace.

murmuration is based on interviews with underage migrants who made their way from Africa to Italy between 2015 and 2021.

Coast of Zarzis, Tunisia

You’re standing on a desert shore. The sound of the waves hitting the sandy Mediterranean beach is soothing. The Libyan border is further to the East.

Two birds are flying towards you. They land on a nearby rock, halting their lively conversation to address you. «You’re not from around here», they say. The birds invite you to follow them underwater. Without resisting, you accept the invitation, holding your breath.

Underwater, you're about to meet "K". With a spark in his eyes, the young boy reaches out his hand and takes you on a journey you will never forget. As he swims across the ocean guided by the fish, you follow along in wonder.

Background

The writing of this project is the fruit of four research and creation trips I did between 2017 and 2022 in Sicily, to Pozzallo, Modica and Catania. My encounters with cultural mediators from Senegal, Guinea and Eritrea helped me gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding youth immigration. They introduced me to under-age migrants with whom I forged a strong bond. They were generous enough to tell me their stories. Their accounts of before, now and tomorrow. The murmuration narrative emanated from these touching stories of buried memories and dreams. Collected, layered, interwoven to form the character of Kanope.

We conducted discussion workshops with young migrants where the first virtual reality prototypes were presented. Their feedback greatly enriched the project. Later in 2021 and 2022, four of them took part in the voice recordings in a music studio in Catania.

The fantastic creative team behind murmuration is a diverse group of men and women with very different immigration backgrounds. Most notable is our character designer, Kenolisa Oramasionwu, who sculpted Kanope. Kenolisa is a young bright and charismatic Nigerian artist, currently in Lagos after studying in the US. The motion-captured choreography in the dance scene is the creation of dancer- choreographer Joël Ndagi, of Rwandan origin. Joël also carries a complex personal migration story.

It is devastating to me to see this human tragedy being trivialized, solidarity being criminalized and intolerance being fueled by rising hatred. murmuration is a message of tolerance and a tool for dialogue. A moment to welcome and reach out to others, a moment not to be indifferent. The stories of those who risk everything to undertake the perilous crossing of the central Mediterranean, under our eyes, testify to our collective loss of humanity. These stories need to be shared. The tragedy of deaths at sea needs to stop.

After the first demolition of Calais, the author Sébastien Thiéry wrote: "To consider - is to ask that things be said with justice and that they be treated with justice."

murmuration is a call for kindness and attention, a space for reaching out, listening and understanding, far away from the desensitizing, numbing looping spectacle of violent images we are served in our feeds.

-- Patricia Bergeron, director

Technical Information

• The project is a standalone VR project for the Meta Quest 3 or MetaQuest 2 headset.

• It needs to be pre-installed on the Quest (and does not require to be tethered to a PC while running).

• The project uses hand tracking and does not require controllers.

• Headphones are recommended to fully appreciate the spatialized soundtrack.

• The project is in 6-DoF. A circular area of about 2m diameter is recommended for movement.

• Make sure the guardian area is configured correspondingly and hand detection is activated when you start the Quest.

Team

Patricia Bergeron

Patricia Bergeron is an expert in new narratives combining cinematic language, interactivity and immersion. From documentaries to fiction, her work with creators, her creativity, dynamism and leadership have made her a recognized producer and an important player in the world of media arts in Canada and internationally. Patricia is also a director of immersive works. Hotspot, (12 min), a participatory theater and virtual reality experience was presented in 2019 at RIDM in Montreal. Murmuration (19 min) is her second virtual reality project (6DOF interactive).

Ali Kays

Ali is a visual artist, art director and animation director born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and living and working in Montreal, Canada. He works with textual, analog, digital, virtual, video, and immersive media. Ali has 22 years of experience in linear and immersive animated storytelling. Ali has collaborated on work that has been featured in international festivals including Siggraph, BIFAN, Cannes XR, FNC, Slamdance, W3, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Berlinale, the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Biennale, ACM SIGGRAPH, RIDM, and the Toronto Film Festival, among many others. Ali’s experience working on projects combining virtual reality with participatory theater, entertainment and communication, documentary, fiction, and animation has fed his growing interest in immersive and interactive media.

Louis Theriault-Boivin

Part developer, part 3D artist, part musician, Louis loves playing with technology, prototyping and mixing things that seem impossible. Louis has worked on large scale interactive projects as senior Unity developer, VFX Artist, Unreal Dev and Creative Technologist. He also presented multiple VR and installation work in different gallery and exposition spaces. Louis recently founded his company, Neek Studio, leading a team of developers on immersive projects.

Colas Wohlfahrt

Colas, an MIT graduate in leadership and innovation, blends documentary and interactive design expertise. He excels at merging technology and creativity to guide diverse interactive projects, from AR/VR to podcasts and participatory theater. Collaborating with Kngfu since 2012, he aids in developing ambitious mixed media ventures.

Ghassan Fayad

Ghassan Fayad is a creative producer and technologist. In 2005, he founded Kngfu, a Montreal-based digital agency whose work in the digital media, immersive entertainment and cultural industries has won countless awards. He is a respected voice in the Canadian media landscape, and a regular lecturer and guest at conferences and panels, including SXSW, HotDocs, FNC, RIDM, MIP, Banff, NextMedia, and DocAgora. Ghassan obtained his Master’s degree in Computer Engineering (McGill, 2001) and studied digital media production at L’Inis (2003). Constantly driven by curiosity and creativity, he has held various positions throughout various projects, including that of producer, director, technical director and creative director. He has explored numerous fields such as design, UX, video, animation, software architecture and illustration.

Femi Kuti

Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London and raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, women's rights activist and traditional aristocrat Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. Like his father, Femi has made commitments to social and political causes throughout his career. Though Femi is the son of an international icon, he considers his mother, Remilekun Taylor, to be his greatest influence. Femi has been nominated for a Grammy award four times in the world music category in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013.