In June, The Dream Wanderer arrives at Knockdown Center! This transformed shuttle bus now houses an immersive and interactive virtual reality installation currently on a nationwide tour, exhibiting an original VR work created by Flatsitter Media Arts Collective.

The VR experience is suitable for children ages 8+.

Schedule:
Thursday, June 15, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Friday, June 16, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Saturday, June 17, 2:00pm-8:00pm

ABOUT THE DREAM WANDERER

This has never been done before…

The Dream Wanderer was once a forgotten Ford Econoline transit shuttle parked in the back lot at a used car dealership in Olean, NY. After being gutted and wrapped and retrofitted, the Dream Wanderer has a third life as a touring virtual reality gallery showcasing all-original virtual reality artworks by Buffalo-based arts collective Flatsitter. So far, tour stops have included Miami Beach (Satellite Art Fair during Art Basel), Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp in Central Florida, SOUP Experimental Space (Tallahassee), The Music Box Village (New Orleans), The French Quarter (New Orleans), Cheer Up Charlie’s (Austin, TX), Museum of Human Achievement (Austin, TX), Pump Project (Austin, TX), Convivio (Oaxaca), Material Art Fair (Mexico City), and Lawn Gnome Books (Phoenix), NOMAD (Los Angeles), Marfa Myths (Marfa), SXSW (Austin), Castillo Blanc0 (New Orleans), Ace Hotel (Pittsburgh), and Elephant Gallery (Nashville). Upcoming stops include Moogfest in May.

ABOUT LILY DALE

The original VR work being exhibited is titled “Lily Dale” and is a virtual reality exploration of spiritualism and the afterlife. This experience features a custom-drawn tarot deck and 20 different VR vignettes for multiple viewings. More info: http://lilydale.flatsitter.com

Lily Dale was founded in 1879 as a camp and meeting place for Spiritualists and Freethinkers. Residents of this small town in Western New York claim to communicate with the dead. The ‘Guidelines for Spiritualism’ are posted on the wall of the Assembly Hall in downtown Lily Dale.

Guideline #4 reads: “We Never Die”

The virtual reality experience incorporates interviews with Lily Dale resident mediums, motion capture from movement artist Ginger Wagg, and a deck of hand-drawn tarot cards by artist Bobby Griffiths.

ABOUT FLATSITTER

FLATSITTER is an interdisciplinary collaborative that incorporates video, film, software programming, performance and installation. The artistic works nurture a perception of society, community and environment as interlocking parts of a creative experience and are exhibited in an array of formats, such as ephemeral web collections, live performances, site-specific installations, short films, and live virtual reality experiences.

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The bus was funded with generous donations from kind people. Major contributors include: Rick Smith from Silo City and the VRTC Foundation.

The interior of the bus was built with generous assistance from carpenter Robert Sturm.

The Subpac haptic feedback vests were provided with support from Subpac.