A new multisensory virtual reality experience at Bristol Old Vic is bringing to life the childhood experiences of acclaimed artist Judith Scott, this October.
Conceived and directed by Sacha Wares with music by Dan Jones and Evelyn Glennie, Inside: The Childhood of An Artist transports you to a sunkissed 1950's family home in Ohio, placing you at the heart of Judith Scott's devastating story of love and separation.
Produced by Trial & Error Studio, and presented in association with Bristol Old Vic and MyWorld, Inside: The Childhood of an Artist will premiere at Bristol Old Vic this October, revealing powerful connections between Judith's work and the extraordinary circumstances of her life. This projects marks Sacha Wares' return to Bristol Old Vic following a sell-out run of the mixed-reality exhibition Museum of Austerity in 2024.
Judith Scott was an American fibre sculptor known for her unique and complex, abstract work. Born in 1943 with Down Syndrome, and deaf, she was separated from her twin sister Joyce at the age of seven and placed in a long-stay institution. Thirty-five years later, Joyce became Judith's legal guardian, taking her out of the institution and enrolling her in the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California. There, Judith discovered her passion for fibre art, creating sculptures from found objects and fibre that have been celebrated in museums and galleries across the world.
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Inside: The Childhood of an Artist dramatises Judith's early years as well as showcasing an original Judith Scott sculpture, which Joyce calls the "Twins", that has not been seen in the UK previously.
Speaking about the project, Sacha Wares said:
"I am thrilled that, thanks to Joyce Scott's generous loan, audiences coming to watch Inside will be able to have a private view of one of Scott's most touching sculptures in a combined experience that reveals deep connections between Judith's remarkable life and her breathtaking artistic talent"
Joyce Scott and Sacha Wares have been developing this project together for many years. In 2018, Sacha went on a USA road trip with Joyce Scott, together with research designer Ultz, visiting each of the places Judith lived and interviewing those who knew her.
Judith's twin sister Joyce Scott describes the research process:
"Over the past seven years Sacha has collaborated closely with me as well as my two brothers, exploring every detail of Judith's life in our family home in Cincinnati. I have been astounded by the depth of Sacha's research. The result is a deeply moving, authentic journey into Judith's childhood that captures the essence of Judith's life with extraordinary fidelity. Inside is a living memory, offering audiences an experience that is both unforgettable and profoundly human."
Evelyn Glennie and Dan Jones provide the music, having recently worked together on the television drama Code of Silence.
Evelyn Glennie and Dan Jones explain their approach to the music:
“This project involved translating the emotional undercurrents of memory into space and resonance, giving voice to what is often left unspoken or misunderstood. Under the visionary direction of Sacha Wares, we shaped a sonic landscape that reflects the complexity, vulnerability, and resilience of a child discovering the power of inner listening and extraordinary creativity.”
Inside: The Childhood of an Artist offers a new, innovative form of audience experience. Audiences wear Meta Quest 3 headsets and are seated within a multisensory installation that delivers a rich, haptic experience.
The project’s VR production partner, Ollie Lindsey from All Seeing Eye shares the following:
“It has been exciting to be involved in this striking approach to exhibition and biography and to help forge new relationships between highly skilled artists and innovative researchers working at the cutting edge of new technologies. From capturing the actors’ performances using 4D Views technologies at Portsmouth University’s Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality, to working on animal movement with Bath University’s team at CAMERA , and experimenting with scent technologies alongside olfactory specialists HYNT, this project has pushed forward everyone’s understanding of what storytelling can be.”
Accessibility
Inside: The Childhood of an Artist does not rely on spoken language and has been designed to be accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing spectators without the need for captions or BSL translation. Feedback about this approach is welcome.
A captioned and BSL translated ‘What to Expect video’ is available in advance.
Welcome to Inside: The childhood of artist Judith Scott
Spatialised audio description, with a script by Louise Fryer and read primarily by Joyce Scott, available at every showing
Multisensory options are customisable.
The multisensory VR experience is accessible to wheelchair users, without haptic vibration.
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