The Tribeca Immersive event during the 20th Annual Tribeca Festival will see the launch of Critical Distance, a social augmented reality (AR) experience built to engage audiences toward long-term protection of marine wildlife. Harnessing the power of Microsoft HoloLens 2, Critical Distance blends projection and holograms to bring audiences into the world of the Salish Sea, home of the endangered Southern Resident orcas and their struggle for a sustainable future.
Within a custom-built projection environment, audiences of four each wear the latest Microsoft Hololens 2 wearable technology to interact with the Critical Distance characters and narrative. Immersed in the underwater world of Salish Sea audiences connect with J pod, a close-knit family of 24 Southern Resident orcas with a spotlight on Kiki — a six-year-old female who carries the fate of the pod on her shoulders. The groundbreaking storytelling harnesses technology to help us see below the surface in an entirely new way, empowering audiences to “see sound” as they experience Kiki’s world of echolocation and her struggle to compete with human activity. This educational exploration narrated by youth climate justice activist and Co-Executive Director of Zero Hour Jamie Margolin, highlighting scientific efforts focused on Orca preservation, aims to entertain, inform, connect and motivate audiences to take action to support this critical species
Following the launch at the 20th Annual Tribeca Festival, Critical Distance will continue on to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for a nine-month installation. Audiences are invited to experience Critical Distance between June 9-20, with tickets and advanced booking available at Tribeca.
