IQOQO Sessions: XR
Tue Aug 1, 15:00 - Tue Aug 1, 16:00
True Design, Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank
ABOUT
IQOQO Sessions is a series of nine inspiring talks hosted by IQOQO and taking place on 1, 2, 3 August 2023 at True Design in the Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank. IQOQO Sessions is a satellite event of Joburg Decor & Design Week, which is a new amalgamation of three very successful events: Decorex, Design Joburg, and 100% Design.
Each Session tells a gripping story full of big ideas about how a leading young creative in South Africa arrived at their groundbreaking early-career moment. In the process, these aspirational and educational tales reveal the networks and opportunities that exist in South Africa and the world that they were able to access in order to reach their dreams.
What journey did a filmmaker go on to develop their first feature? How did a fashion designer come to stage their first debut international fashion show? What led to that artist’s first major exhibition? How did a game developer create their game or that architect their first award-winning building? What is the story behind their passion for Virtual Reality? Or how did they end up working in animation?
ABOUT KIRSTIN LEE GREY
Kirstin started her career in linear film, having worked and grown in the ranks of production since 2011 for both independent film and international studios. With funding support from a Singaporean company, Kirstin and a business partner established a film agency called Grey Matter in 2018. During its short span, they worked on innovative projects, partnering with Yellowbone Entertainment to project manage 'Sew the Winter to My Skin’s' South African campaign as the official entry to the Best Foreign Film category at the 91st Academy Awards. Kirstin also brought to life 'Gr8ness,' a 360VR film by Black Rhino VR in Kenya and VR for Good/Oculus (Meta). The latter would unknowingly change her trajectory to Immersive Storytelling.
After being introduced to VR (virtual reality) as a storytelling tool, she spent a year with Electric South as their Cultural Producer, where she successfully navigated the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, secured funding for the 1st Electric Africa VR Festival - Africa’s first free online virtual reality festival - and oversaw the 4th New Dimensions Lab. In 2020, Kirstin was fixated on creating fictional high fantasy stories in VR and using the tools for what she deemed its full potential, this time under her own company, Different Immersive. Her first project, 'Other Behemoth Creatures,' received funding, and the pilot is currently in development. This project has been invited to various markets, most notably VR Days in Amsterdam and the International Film Festival of Rotterdam.
Since venturing solo, she has collaborated with World Slam Poet Champion Xabiso Vili and The Brother Moves On to create a 360 Visual Album called 'Black Boi Meets Boogeyman,' made possible through funding from Meta and Africa No Filter, and has worked to create a VR piece in the Netflix hit show 'Blood and Water.'
In the next 3 - 5 years, Kirstin aims to have her content studio grow into an in-person exhibition space where audiences from all walks of life can engage with African storytelling, art, and technology.