Below deck

Below Deck is a VR theatre play that combines documentary and fictional means, immersing you behind the luxurious façade of a cruise ship. In the role of a tourist, you are invited to autonomously discover scenic miniatures of compelling stories of vulnerability and resilience performed by real crew members from the Philippines. More than one-third of all crew members worldwide are Filipino, living and working below deck for several months without any days off. As an addressed observer of a quirky crew show rehearsal, you find yourself in a Lynchian scenario, oscillating between being a secretly invited guest and a voyeur. What persists is the question: Shouldn’t we risk a glimpse behind the curtain to discover what remains hidden from our perception?

Below Deck is the third part of a trilogy about living and working conditions on the high seas. This topic has been with us for several years and has resulted in the immersive installations Overseas and The Staff Your Dreams Are Made Of developed in collaboration with people whose life and work are closely linked to our “Western” lifestyle. In this third part, we explore the artistic possibilities of narrating through techniques of MR, seeking a concentrated and atmospheric cosmos in which viewers themselves discover the narration through their movement in the physical space by tracing the absurdity of reality below deck. What intrigued us most was finding a narrative form that merges documentary research with fictional distillation, allowing us to powerfully tell the crew’s experiences on board to a wide audience. Formally, the installation combines Passthrough with VR and 360° film. Two viewers at a time can experience surreal situations and intimate moments, all while being aware of their own physical bodies, allowing for intuitive movements through the MR dramaturgy.

PRODUCTION: TÒSU Film OHG
Martina Mahlknecht, Martin Prinoth
Zimmerpforte 4
20099, Hamburg, Germany
Tel. 49 01638649285
contact@tosufilm.com

WORLD SALES and PRESS OFFICE:
TÒSU Film OHG
Martina Mahlknecht, Martin Prinoth
Zimmerpforte 4
20099, Hamburg, Germany
Tel. 49 01638649285
contact@tosufilm.com
Website: www.tosufilm.com
Instagram handle: @tosu_duo

PRESS OFFICE 2: La Biennale di Venezia – Biennale College Cinema Ca’ Giustinian 1364/a 30124 – Venezia, Italia Tel. +39 041 2726644 biennaleimmersive@labiennale.org; presscinema@labiennale.org; college-cinema@labiennale.org