Private Project

Disembodied Beings

‘Disembodied Beings’ considers how virtual reality technology destabilizes meaning(s) of the corporeal body. The work engages with content from the Internet: open source motion capture libraries, ready-made 3D models of humans, and at home tests of motion capture software and models. These visuals conflate with found youtube monologues that recount out of body and astral projection experiences. ‘‘Disembodied People’ is part of Olafson a new series called ‘MÆ - Motion Aftereffect’ which is a series of works concerned with the impact of emerging consumer technologies associated with AR - Augmented Reality, VR - Virtual Reality, MR - Mixed Reality, XR - Extended Reality and 360° video.

  • Freya Björg Olafson
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Festival International Du Film Sur L’art / Momenta Biennale De L’image curator Émilie Serri screening at Dazibao
    Montreal
    Canada
    March 21, 2019
    Montreal Premiere
  • Movimiento en Movimiento #8 curator: Yolanda M. Guadarrama
    Mexico City
    Mexico
    October 25, 2019
  • Pleasure Dome 'New Toronto Works'
    Toronto
    Canada
    May 16, 2020
  • Gimli Film Festival
    Gimli
    Canada
    July 24, 2020
Distribution Information
  • Video Pool Media Arts Centre
    Country: Canada
Director Biography - Freya Björg Olafson

Freya Björg Olafson is an intermedia artist who works with video, audio, animation, motion capture, XR, painting, and performance. Their praxis engages with identity and the body, as informed by technology and the Internet. Olafson’s work has been exhibited and performed internationally at the Bauhaus Archiv (Berlin), SECCA - SouthEastern Center for Contemporary Art (North Carolina), LUDWIG museum (Budapest), and The National Arts Center (Ottawa). Olafson has benefitted from residencies, most notably through EMPAC - Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center (New York), Oboro (Montreal), and Counterpulse (San Francisco). In spring 2020 Olafson was one of the longlist ‘Sobey Art Award’ recipients through a nomination by Video Pool Media Arts Center and in July 2021 she was selected for the Lumen Prize for Art & Technology longlist. Olafson holds an MFA in New Media from the Transart Institute / Donau Universität. In 2017 Olafson joined the Department of Dance at York University as an Assistant Professor. As of July 2021, Olafson is an Assistant Professor in Digital Media at the University of Manitoba School of Art.

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Director Statement

Freya acknowledges the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. The development of this work was made possible through the AR/VR Artist Research Residency Pilot organized by Oregon Story Board, Eyebeam and Upfor Gallery in Portland as well as the 13th annual Montréal Choreographic Workshop. In 2017, this work was developed through the CounterPulse (San Francisco) ‘Artist Residency Commissioning Program’ with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, and the Ken Hempel Fund for the Arts. Produced with the residency support of OBORO in Montréal, 2018 as well as Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg in 2019.