White Dwarf

An interactive Virtual and Augmented Reality Installation 
(VR & AR)
Directed by Yolanda Markopoulou


Benaki Museum /Pireos 138
From the 30th November to the 10th of Deccember 2023, Thursday to Sunday
 
White Dwarf is premiering in Athens, at the Benaki Museum / Pireos 138 - for 8 days only, after its
initial succesful presentation at the Immersive All-Around Cinema section of the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
White Dwarf, directed by Yolanda Markopoulou is a VR performance installation about the "birth” 
of the first atomic bomb by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.


 "The white dwarf is a star that has exhausted its energy and dies silently, without exploding. What if the atomic bomb had met the same fate as a white dwarf? If, instead of wrecking havoc, it remained silent, locked in a room, only to become an exhibit in a future museum?”

The research of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is dubbed as the “father of the atomic bomb” meets the real story of Sadako Sasaki, a little girl, victim of the Hiroshima bombing. Scientific developments and space exploration are juxtaposed with the little girl’s pledge for peace in the aftermath of World War II. Τhe macro and micro histories intertwine in a minimalist environment, while the voyage of cosmic memory throughout history evokes the freedom of light travel. The explosion of the atomic bomb resembles that of the death of a star in a supernova explosion; though, instead of restoring the cosmic equilibrium, it causes irrevocable damage on Earth.

 "As soon as the door opens and the audience enters a specially designed space, we want them to be immediately immersed in the universe of the work before they even put on their VR headsets. We give them a specific role as they explore the space over the course of the performance. They are challenged to participate in a holistic experience that extends the virtual into the physical world and vice versa. We want the audience to become part of an experiment, to be confronted with the question of morality and the limitations of science. To “witness” a world-changing incident.” Y.M.

Duration: 30 minutes
The VR film is in English