2024 | Canada | Produced and directed by Catherine Bélanger
A virtual reality soup kitchen
The Delights is an interactive virtual reality work created from 360-degree videos filmed in a soup kitchen in Québec. As participants, we are invited to engage with the community through an immersive experience within two interconnected spaces: the projection area and the headset, where different levels of reality intertwine.
Through fleeting yet captivating encounters, a poetic map of lived experiences gradually takes shape. Like a decal transferred from one space to another, interactions are recorded and simultaneously translated into luminous, colorful imprints, emerging from the intersections between individuals. The accumulated data from all visitors over time illuminates moments that are both shared, essential, and extraordinary—reminding us of the connections that unite us all.
Credits
Produced in collaboration with LA BANDE VIDÉO and AVATAR
With the participation of INTERFÉRENCES, THE CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF QUÉBEC AND THE CITY OF QUÉBEC, and CÉGEP LIMOILOU.
This project benefits from financial support from
Unity Programming: David Martin and Émeric Morin (Studio Barnaque)
Technical Support for Production, Interactivity, and Distribution: Johann Baron-Lanteigne, Louis-Robert Bouchard (Interférences arts et technologies), Ulrick-Lucas Dubé-Cantin
Support for Video Capture and Documentation: Ricardo Savard (La Bande Vidéo)
Sound Production Support: Guillaume Côté (Avatar)
Visual Effects: Ulrick-Lucas Dubé-Cantin
Rotoscoping: Audréanne Boisvert, Andrew Cyr-Marcoux, Audrey-Ann Dubuc, Emmy Galarneau, Victor Rouillard
Special thanks to Nathalie Bédard, Brigitte Lemelin, Sister Julie Bouffard (Fondation famille Jules-Dallaire and Maison Mère-Mallet), Myriam Lambert (Avatar), Richard Dubuc, and Marilyn Laflamme (Electrical Engineering Department of Cégep Limoilou).
Catherine Bélanger
Creator
An interdisciplinary artist from Université Laval, she explores themes of encounter and gift-giving, as well as the intangible heritage of everyday rituals.
Her work in animation, video, and digital installation has been presented at Mois Multi, Oboro, the metaverse (Ellipse), La Centrale, the Musée de la Civilisation, and the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. Since 1997, she has participated in events in France, Montreal, Quebec City, and other regions.
She collaborates on transdisciplinary research on culinary gestures and movement with universities and artist centers in France and Quebec. Represented by Hubblo Immersion, she receives support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Fédération des cégeps du Québec, and Première Ovation. Since 2004, she has been teaching visual arts at Cégep Limoilou.