OTHERWORLDS (2024) is a multidimensional participatory performance within virtual and physical realities created by Ukrainian media artist, immersive storyteller and director Sophia Bulgakova. It combines Sophia's artistic research on Ukrainian traditions, pagan rituals, and other surrounding magical practices with contemporary discourse on visual culture and technology. 

The pagan research and references here undergo complete abstraction within the aesthetics and composition of the piece, keeping the notions and intentions of the ritualistic practices but creating new visual and experiential language to bring across tools for personal and communal transformation. The project seeks common grounds to revive and reimagine relations and connections to nature, technology, and each other by creating a new, transformative, immersive ritual experience.

OTHERWORLDS is a sensory overload, a unique experience that takes you out of everyday reality. It uses innovative sensorial tools such as abstract colour-based spaces using MR (Mixed Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) environments, spatial interactive soundscapes, and collective choreographical elements performed by participants. The audience's experience inside the piece is a journey that allows room for change to occur within ourselves.

Credits:

Director & Artist: Sophia Bulgakova

Creative development: Leonardo Scarin & Harm van de Ven

Sound design: Mark IJzerman

Narration: Sophia Bulgakova & Uliana Bun

Scenography: Maarten Keus

Light Design: Nick Mansveld

Choreography: Maria Sartzetaki

Headset mask design: Sasha Popruga & Oleksandr Manukians

Cultural & artistic advisor: German Popov, Maria Saridaki, Mariia Ponomarova

Producer & distributor: Jarl Schulp (FIBER)

OTHERWORLDS is created by Sophia Bulgakova and produced and distributed by FIBER.

We thank the Netherlands Film Fund, Creative Industries Fund NL and iMal for their support in the development of OTHERWORLDS.