KUSUNDA :: a VR experience about language revitalisation

Gayatri Parameswaran, Felix Gaedtke

Zusammenfassung
Location: Club

KUSUNDA is a voice-driven virtual reality experience that explores what makes a language fall asleep and what it takes to wake one up. Lil Bahadur, an indigenous Kusunda shaman, is resigned to the fact that he has forgotten his mother tongue, while his granddaughter Hema is determined to revitalise the language
Journalism
XR
Englisch
Off Stage

Lil Bahadur and his granddaughter Hema, represent two generations set apart by their lifestyles and brought together by the struggle for their indigenous identity.
You join Lil Bahadur and Hema in a hybrid virtual world -- part photorealistic and part hand painted. You use your voice to speak certain words in their mother tongue, thus choosing your narrative journey.
Lil Bahadur paints a glimpse into the past with anecdotes of his nomadic life in the jungle. “We used to live and feed ourselves in the jungle. We used to fight wild animals. This practice continued until my time, but now it has ended.”
Hema, a bright teenager, represents what you may call a modern Kusunda identity. “I’ve never lived in the jungle but my ancestors did. They’ve had the experience, but I don’t. I like studying. I want to be a teacher. And along with that, I also want to pursue my singing career.”
The value both Hema and Lil Bahadur place on their endangered language -- Kusunda -- binds them together.

Gayatri, a dark skinned woman with black hair tied up in a bun, is pictured outdoors. She wears red round earrings, and smiles at the camera. She wears a grey striped top with red central pattern.
Gayatri
Parameswaran
Co-founder
NowHere Media
Ein Bild von Felix Gaedtke
Felix
Gaedtke
VR creator and documentary maker
Felix Gaedtke