Most of the time, the further away we are from a problem, the less it hurts. I leave things until the last minute because frankly, an exam taking place in a year is less scary than one taking place tomorrow. A flood halfway across the world affects our daily lives less than a flooded hallway at home. And I’m more likely to believe I can make a difference to a child lost in a supermarket than to thousands of displaced children hundreds of miles away.
But when I placed a pair of thick goggles over my eyes and pressed play, I suddenly found myself standing in front of Sidra, a 12-year old Syrian refugee
It’s impossible to do justice to the experience of virtual reality in words, because it is such a physically immersive experience. As Sidra showed me around her life in Zaatari refugee camp, pointing out the makeshift gym where young boys wrestle and the bakery where flatbreads are prepared every day, I forgot I was in London at a film festival. The only barrier between me and their world was that I couldn’t smell the air or feel the heat from the fire.
In some ways, this sounds like a form of play, or entertainment, except the issue at stake was so serious. This paradox hit me hardest when I ended up in the middle of a football pitch and heard Sidra say: "One good thing about being here is that girls get to play football too." I was right at the centre of the concrete pitch, worried that I’d get in the way of their game. As the girls giggled and dashed around me, I flashed back to when I was her age and playing football for my school, just around the corner from my house. I remembered that no matter how happy these girls looked, they did not have the certainty of ever going back home.
“Virtual reality, fundamentally, is a technology that removes borders,” Chris Milk, the radical filmmaker behind this film, Clouds Over Sidra says. “Anything can be local to you.” Beaming real life across vast distances, his virtual reality productions transport you as close as you can get to walking in another person’s shoes. Working with UN Senior Advisor Gabo Arora, Milk uses this immersive technology to capture the most pressing challenges of our times.
Like the fight against ebola. The latest film from Vrse.works, the innovative production company behind Clouds Over Sidra, is Waves of Grace. Narrated by Decontee Davis, an ebola survivor working to rebuild her community in Liberia, she walks you through her changed world. Something flickers in the corner of your eye and you turn to notice a child walking past. Spin 180 degrees and a colourful market stretches out in front of you. Vendors look you square in the face, hoping you’ll make a purchase. Soon after the scene changes and a team of suited health workers moves towards you. Glance down and there’s a grave beside you, where they’re lowering a victim into the ground. Still, somehow without hiding the chilling reality of the situation, the film restores a sense of hope as Decontee prays for her area, ready to help bring her community back to life .
Virtual Reality is already revolutionising the entertainment industry, and it’s set to take the non-profit sector by storm. My colleauge Hans recently interviewed Rob Holzer, founder and CEO of Matter, on his latest innovative project - a VR tour through East Africa guided by former President Bill Clinton. What’s new about this approach is its potential to inspire social change. Immersing the viewer in a 360-degree, 3D experience, these powerful stories take us into the lives of another, and reveal the power of new technology in deepening our understanding of those whom we might never meet. The next challenge is to see whether it does really motivate us to make a difference. I really hope it does. A whole new art-form in itself, this breakthrough could transform the way we tell stories forever.
Check out Vrse.works to watch the films on iPhone or Android.