SONZAI (2021)

Concept & Direction: Roland Lane
Dance Performance & Choreography: Maëva Berthelot
Real-Time Design & VFX: Andy McNamara & Chris Lumsdale at Prodigious
Volumetric Capture: Dimension
Developer & Mixed Reality Evangelist: Pete Daukintis
Spatial 3D Sound & Music: Scott Marshall at Bamsound Creative
Volumetric Video Technology by Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture Studios
Supported by Epic Games, Arts Council England & Microsoft

A stunning, award-winning installation experience, featuring a photorealistic hologram dancing in the prestigious V&A Paintings Gallery. As the hologram performs amongst an audiovisual environment inspired by the heightened brain stimulation & activity that dancing triggers, this digital environment itself becomes an immersive artwork, sitting alongside timeless masterpieces from the likes of Constable and Turner.

SONZAI represents a truly interdisciplinary collaboration, fusing art and technology. By combining volumetric capture, Unreal Engine, and the latest HoloLens 2 technology from Microsoft, the lines between the physical and virtual worlds blur, offering a spectacular new way to engage with performance art.

“The V&A is thrilled to host the world premiere of ‘Sonzai’ as part of London Design Festival. This groundbreaking mixed reality experience invites visitors to explore the power of dance in the museum space through exciting new immersive technology, continuing the V&A’s outstanding partnerships with contemporary dance. We are delighted to have been able to work with an interdisciplinary creative and technical team to bring this immersive performance to the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance”.

Kate Bailey - Senior Curator of Design and Scenography, The V&A Museum