Pop Loves Scotch is described by its creator, Steve, as “a VR poem, for Jon’s father and my own”. Jon is the American spoken-word poet Jon Goode, and Steve uses Jon’s moving narrative of living with his alcoholic father to devastating effect in an absolutely outstanding Sansar art experience, easily one of my favourite works so far this week.
Memories are evoked by unsettling dioramas scattered across a twisted landscape of fences and guns. A couple argues, surrounded by a swirl of black women in fluorescent red hair. A boy runs into a living room where a father stares blankly at a television. A young man lies on the floor after being assaulted by his father, who challenges his other son to a silent stare-down. The figures are several times larger than the size of the avatar spectator and painted in a vibrant patchwork of abstract colours. And through it all, Jon Goode recounts, over and over again, the rhythmic tale of how much his father loved scotch.
Go see this one. It’s an amazing example of the immersive power of virtual reality in art.
