"Fragile Home": using mixed reality to show impact of Russia's war on everyday life in Ukraine
Mixed reality (MR) has the potential to revolutionize storytelling by blending the physical and virtual worlds, which creates immersive experiences people would not be able to access otherwise. This innovative approach is at the heart of a compelling project that invites users to step into a Ukrainian home—a space that evolves to reflect the impact of Russia’s war. I spoke with one of its directors, Ondřej Moravec, about collaboration with Victoria Lopukhina and the reception of the project thus far.
First I want to talk about Křehký Domov, “Fragile Home“, and about the motivation for using mixed reality. Maybe you could also define “mixed reality” for people who aren’t immediately picturing something.
“Thank you for having me. Mixed reality is still a new format that is developing, and it's basically different from the classic virtual reality in the sense that in virtual reality (VR), when you put the helmet on, everything around you is virtual. You see the digital objects or 3D videos, and you are totally immersed in that. In mixed reality, you are actually mixing your surroundings, plus what's projected on the display inside of the headset.
“And so here, for example, we are sitting in the kind of artificial room that we created. There is a sofa and a table, and you can actually see them in the headset as well because there are cameras on top of the headset, which project reality around you. And on these screens, you can also project a digital layer. And this digital layer is creating a new reality, so it's transforming the reality around you.
“We decided to use this format and this method to underline that what's happening in Ukraine can happen in any home around the world. We hope it will not, of course. But we feel that this was an interesting space for us to think about, how people think about their homes. Because sometimes you feel about the war, okay, it's something distant; it doesn't bother me that much. But I feel personally that it's not true. This war in particular for us Europeans is very, very tactile in terms of how close it is to us. And we wanted to underline this in our project.”
In an interview, you said that you didn't want to really moralize or preach in choosing this format. And so, can you tell us about that? In what ways do you want or expect audiences to better relate to this, rather than the typical video documentary or something along those lines?
“Yes. Actually, because in a classic film, you usually see in wars people who are very close to each other. You meet the people. You have some confessions from them. And you are leading [the audience] towards some concrete story or more stories. But you do it in this direct classic way. We decided that we would do it differently and give the user a lot of freedom so that they can construct the narrative themselves.
“So it's a kind of a meditative walk, when you walk around the room. And you're discovering the realities from a Ukrainian flat. And you can create the narrative on your own in your head. What was happening there? Which family lived there? How different is the family from my family, for example? And you listen to Ukrainian music, to original folk songs, which are very important for me because that's where I started with Ukrainian heritage, let's say. I started to sing Ukrainian songs a few years back. And I decided that I wanted them to be present in this work.
“And as you are going around the flat when you go to each stop, you activate one of the voices of the choir. You are composing the choir. If you would stay in just one place all the time, there would be just one voice. And by your movement, by your agency, you can create this choir, which is, for me, symbolic. We are giving the Ukrainian people a voice so they can be present with you in this.”
Talking about your collaborator for this project, Victoria Lopukhina, she was also, correct me if I'm wrong, the art consultant. So was that something that you were, she was contributing to, being Ukrainian, seeing a vyshyvanka [Ukrainian embroidered shirt] there, so there are these Ukrainian motifs. So can you speak about that collaboration?
“Yeah, definitely. It was very important for me in general to have collaborations with more Ukrainians. So our script editor, a 3D artist, the music composer, and all the singers are Ukrainian. So there was, from the beginning, the idea that this work needs to be created together with Ukrainians and to give them a platform where their voices can be heard.
“And specifically with Victoria, it was very beautiful, because she was originally an architect. And she started to work with her son, Tim Voronkin, in VR. They created two or three simpler VR projects, but very nice ones. And when we found them, we said that it could be good for us to collaborate with them.
“And Victoria was proposing all the references in the flat, what they should look like, what the curtain on the window should look like, the cushions, what could be their pattern, the mosaics on them. And so that was from her knowledge, her knowledge of classic Ukrainian decorations.
“But we didn't want to create it in a complicated way. We didn't want it to create a museum of Ukrainian design or something like that. It still needed to be natural. Some of them are quite traditionally Ukrainian, some are quite plain to create this feeling that it's a home for all of us.
“And unfortunately that's the biggest point that I need to mention here: Victoria was my dear friend and she unfortunately passed away a few weeks back. And so we also want to devote all the exhibition to her.”
I guess we didn't explain that at a certain point in the exhibition itself, the surroundings start changing and there's an explosion. Objects that you were interacting with before start changing. Is that what you're hinting at? Is the magnitude so much more impactful because of the nature of the space, in the way that mixed reality allows?
“Yes, what we are using here is something that was described as environmental storytelling. So you are walking, you are discovering a new world. It's not much about discovery in terms of some riddles or something, but about little details, the picture of the family on the wall and how it changes in time, how the cat is changing its positions.
“At the beginning, she's comfy on the couch. In the second chapter, she's already alert in the window. And so you can feel from these objects what's real, what's happening, what the cat is avoiding, and so on. So, yeah, that was our goal.”
And when it comes to feedback, are you getting feedback from people on how they were touched by this, versus typically hearing about Ukraine in the news?
“Yes, I think that the feedback was wonderful in this regard, when we had it in either Venice or the Ji.hlava Film Festival. In both of them, the people were really, really touched by the storytelling.
“For example, I'm always surprised that it resonates a lot with Taiwanese people, because they are very much afraid of what will happen in their homeland. So it's very, very moving for them. But also for Ukrainian people, it's very strong to see that, especially for those who fled and are now relatively safe. And that's what I’m happy about.
“And, in general, I think that the Czech audience, they can be a bit more reserved about some things. But I believe that the topic of the home is very universal and that it's basically about what the home means for us. And so I believe that that's what anybody can attach to.”
It seems to be like a precipice moment for mixed reality, but the potential for some project like this, especially as the technology develops, is pretty severe if you think about it. And so what do you think about that? You've dipped your toes into this industry quite a bit. You're directing some festivals here as well, so in contrast with the typical format, since we keep returning to video documentaries, what can this mixed reality format do for viewers and empathy for conflicts that are far away?
“Well, I believe that VR and mixed reality and all the immersive branches, let's say, I think it's still new. A lot of people are discovering it. Some of them don't like it too much and that's totally okay.
“I am not a fan of the theories that VR and mixed reality will be the future of audio-visual content in general. I think that they will coexist next to each other, as it's happened with film and TV, with theater and everything.
“So, I believe that it can bring you something new, something special, something maybe a bit more intensive in a way, but I think that it will be just the next branch of the arts.”
The installation will be held from 12 November 2024 to 2 February 2025 at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art. Tickets can be purchased solely at the DOX box office.
