IN MY SHOES is an ongoing series of interactive mixed reality experiences by Jane Gauntlett that strives to help audiences experience unique and impactful moments they may never otherwise face in their day-to-day life. I co-directed and co-created the live theatrical experience design for three pieces in the series: Waking in Slough, Dancing with Myself, and Intimacy.

Waking in Slough

Waking in Slough was the first of the IN MY SHOES pieces, created in 2010 for Vuzix video goggles. The experience is told through Gauntlett’s perspective, and guides a single audience member through a recreation of one of her epileptic seizures.

This experience was groundbreaking not only for its subject matter, but how it was staged. In addition to the Vuzix film, we provided the audience with a live theatrical component to immerse them further in the world. We matched their surroundings with similar set and props, including a book bag and water bottle; once they put on the goggles, we matched props to the video feed. When “Jane” reached out for the water bottle, the audience could do the same and feel it in their hands; later, when her world distorts, we would move both props and furniture to simulate moments in the experience.

Gauntlett staged this piece hundreds of times for conferences, film festivals, and talks, championing mixed reality experiences as a way to help people understand how others experience the world. Often, we ran a participant through this experience live on stage: the audience in the house could see the video on screen above the participant, as well as the physical setups we used to increase embodiment and sensation throughout.

Dancing With Myself

As with Waking in Slough, this 2015 piece focused on one of Gauntlet’s experiences with epilepsy, this time examining the feelings of being unable to communicate to others about what you need.

I once again co-directed the film and co-created the live experiential moments with Gauntlett; in addition, differencEngine served as co-producer. For this experience, we partnered with Visualize, who helped create the 360° video and spatial audio soundscapes for Oculus DK2 and Samsung Gear VR.

Intimacy

The first multi-person IN MY SHOES experience, Intimacy was a 2017 fictional 360° film exploring a triptych of emotional moments in a relationship. The two participants were placed opposite one another on a sofa and given Oculus headsets, where they then each inhabited one half of a conversation.

We again worked with Visualise to film the 360° project; as with the other two pieces, I co-directed and co-designed the experience with Gauntlett.