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Past Event
Moody Center for the Arts
Friday, March 11
7:00pm - 9:30pm
Opening Reception for Samsāra VR Experience and Remote Q&A with Artist

About the Event

Free + Open the Public | Bites + Beverages| Registration Encouraged

Experience the award-winning virtual reality film, Samsāra, and speak with the director and artist Hsin-Chien Huang (remote) about how VR can promote a spiritual evolution via immersive experiences grounded in building empathy. Huang’s talk and Q&A will begin at 7:30 p.m. Attendees will have an opportunity to see the film before and after, please note headsets are limited and the film runs for 24 minutes.

About the Film

Samsāra, a virtual narrative by Hsin-Chien Huang, begins in the near future when the Earth’s resources have depleted due to human greed. Fighting for natural resources leads to catastrophic wars and global destruction forcing the remaining population to leave Earth and find a new home. Will this long quest for a new home be a loop in space and time? Without spiritual evolution, is progress and evolution nothing more than a Möbius strip that leads nowhere? Using the concept of embodied cognition, Samsāra uses virtual reality and interactivity to create the experience of transforming one’s body into different beings while promoting empathy and a holistic view of our shared existence.

Directions & Parking

The Moody Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Rice University, and is best reached by using Campus Entrance 8 at the intersection of University Boulevard and Stockton Street. As you enter campus, the building is on the right, just past the Media Center. There is a dedicated parking lot adjacent to the building. Payment for the Moody Lot is by credit card only. Maps are available at rice.edu/maps.

Please note: Our address is the general address to Rice University. To find us on campus, enter “Moody Center for the Arts” on Google or Apple maps.

Location

Moody Center for the Arts
Media Gallery + Flex Studio

United States