Rear View 360

Experience IOU's live show Rear View captured in 360° video. This short story takes an unforgettable virtual journey from the intimacy of a life class to the reality of the streets following the story of a life lived in an ordinary town.

The film can be watched in 360 on Youtube and Facebook or experienced as a theatrical installation at festivals and venues, produced by renowned experimental arts organisation IOU. Audiences become part of the sculptural installation as they stand in beautifully adapted steel drums wearing VR headsets. Viewers can feel the sensation of riding on IOU’s Rear View bus and share the 360° stage with writer and performer Cecilia Knapp as she takes the audience on a poetic journey revealing how a town can shape our life.

“Rear view, the new IOU Theatre show, is a little bit special, wonderfully poignant piece about seeing ourselves clearly from a distance." The Guardian's Lyn Gardner on Twitter.

This is IOU's first live virtual production in 360, filmed on one of the last shows of the 2018 Rear View tour at Gravity Fields Festival in Grantham.

  • David Wheeler
    Director
  • Joby Catto
    Director
  • David Wheeler
    Writer
  • Cecilia Knapp
    Writer
  • Joanne Wain
    Producer
  • Cecilia Knapp
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short, Virtual Reality
  • Genres:
    Drama, Performance Poetry, Outdoor Theatre, Music, 360 VR Film
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 19, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    360
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Square Chapel Arts Centre, VR Installation
    Halifax
    United Kingdom
    February 20, 2019
    UK Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Facebook
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
  • Youtube
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet, Theatrical
Director Biography - David Wheeler, Joby Catto

David Wheeler - Director

David Wheeler is the Artistic Director of IOU and one of the founder members of the company. With a producing team, he brings together artists, musicians, composers and makers to work on ambitious small and large-scale projects. His role includes directing, devising, designing and making.

David studied Fine Art at Bournville School of Art and at Wolverhampton (1st Class Hons), where he majored in sculpture and developed a particular interest in mechanical sculpture/installations, sound, photography and performance events.

At IOU he is responsible for the artistic direction of projects and the company. He is an experienced project and team manager, delivering performance, theatre, live art, visual art and digital arts projects on a variety of scales for many differing contexts.

David also mentors both emerging and experienced artists working in a range of art forms. David has been a key member of IOU since its formation and a full list of all IOU’s work from 1976 onwards is available on IOU’s website.

In 2007/8 David was ‘artist in residence’ in Antarctica as part of the Artist and Writers Programme run by Arts Council England and British Antarctic Survey. Half Moon, a solo exhibition of sculpture, video and large format panoramic photographs resulted from this experience. Elements from Half Moon are included in Landscapes of Exploration, a touring exhibition curated by Liz Wells for Peninsula Arts. It presents the work of the ten artists who were part of the Artists and Writers Programme. A large format photographic print is also included in the Scott Polar Institute collection.

In 2008 David was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Huddersfield, presented for his contribution to contemporary theatre practice.

About IOU
IOU make original, unpredictable interdisciplinary art from our creation centre in West Yorkshire, inspiring curiosity and wonder, developing talent and presenting to a diverse range of local, national and international audiences.

IOU is artist led and collaborative: working with interdisciplinary artists to engage diverse audiences through original and exceptional art that changes perspectives of the world. We aim to attract and develop talent through collaboration and professional development programmes with a focus on IOU’s unique style in innovative engineering, construction and invention. Our work aims to de-familiarise everyday objects and locations to produce work that is unconstrained, innovative and darkly humorous.

Recent projects include Rear View, a moving site specific show which involved transporting audiences on a totally unique converted bus, and toured to 11 outdoor festivals across the UK; a mechanical sculptural sound and light installation Patternarium and Volatile Light delivered in partnership with children’s science museum Eureka; and sculptural sound installation Speaking Tubes and Vortex delivered with contemporary music performer Yannis Kyriakides.

“Rear Rear View is British street theatre at its most ambitious and idosyncratic.” The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner

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