Catatonic is a virtual-reality experience directed by
Guy Shelmerdine that places viewers in a 1940s mental hospital. The experience was shot in a derelict mental hospital in Pasadena, California, and VR production was done by
MPC Creative.
Catatonic premiered at the recent SXSW festival in Austin, Texas on the
Samsung Gear VR headset.
participants will be ushered into a custom-built wheelchair by live nurses in 1940s uniforms. the design of the chair resembles a padded cell: a unique blend of comfort and paralysis. the viewer will then be fitted with a samsung gear headset and headphones. in the virtual environment, the “patient” / audience member is ushered through the psychiatric wing, experiencing the full brunt of madness within. along with the 360o 3d immersion of vr, the patient will also feel jolts emanating from a buttkickertm, a vibrating device built into the base of the wheelchair.
