Diatribes, Installation and VR play-test by Veronica Graham

Kala Gallery is excited to present Diatribes, installation and VR test by Veronica Graham, Kala’s 2018-2019 Media Fellow.

Diatribes is an evolving project that centers around a virtual reality haunted house. Inside players are taken on a narrated journey through an arena room where Nature and Civilization are locked in an endless battle. At Kala Gallery an early demo of the game will be presented inside an installation of prototypes and printed ephemera. This is a buffer zone welcoming people in and easing them out of the Diatribes virtual space. The public is invited to explore these worlds within worlds and give feedback as the project takes shape.

The opening celebration will be held on September 6th at 6pm-8pm. There will be a brief artists talk on collaboration and VR between Veronica Graham and Thomas Newlands at 6:30pm. A comic book called “NAT vs CIV”, that serves as both a guide and an archive for the game will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Play testing will be held during the opening and regular gallery hours between 9/6-9/21.

If you would like to bring a large group please schedule an appointment with Veronica Graham at veronica@mostancient.com

The Diatribes VR demo is a collaboration with visual artist Veronica Graham, programmer Thomas Newlands, sound artist Julia Kim, and composer Spencer Rabin. It is a Most Ancient production and you can find more info and updates on the website.

Veronica Graham: director
Thomas Newlands: programmer
Julia Kim: sound artist
Spencer Rabin: composer

Veronica Graham is an Oakland based visual artist primarily working in print and digital mediums. Inspired by today’s rapidly changing environment, she sees her art practice as a form of world building. Each work is the creation of place or artifact, calling attention to how fiction is weaved into our reality. In 2012 she founded Most Ancient, a design studio focused on small press and digital production. Her books have been collected by SFMoMA, MoMA, The New York Public Library, The Library of Congress, Stanford University, Yale University, and other public and private collections. Graham has received grants from Kala Art Institute and Women’s Studio Workshop. She is now designing virtual worlds and her first VR project called  “The Muybridge Mausoleum” was completed in 2017 for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift platforms. In addition to her own practice, Graham is an active member on SFMoMA’s Games Advisory Board and an arts educator who has taught at San Francisco Art Institute, Southern Exposure, and Creativity Explored.