After last year’s successful “The Science of Fiction: World Building in Action,” USC 5D returns with “The Rilao Project” at the 2014 Science of Fiction Festival on Saturday, spearheaded by award-winning production designer and USC School of Cinematic Arts Professor Alex McDowell.
In an international one-day investigation, participants will create the fictional city of Rilao, a world build based on a mash-up of the DNA of Los Angeles and Rio (8:30 am to 5:00 pm at USC’/Norris Hall). They will explore Rilao’s history and stories, working down from systems to cultures to tribes. By doing so, Rilao will serve as a means of creatively and critically re-envisioning and revising the near-future horizons of our own real-life cities and built world.
The 2014 Science of Fiction Festival is a cutting-edge world building conference: an annual international collaboration with global thought leaders for the future of storytelling. Through this weeklong narrative creation — which includes a world-building symposium, interactive exhibit, and synchromedia concert — participants will form the creative narrative of the future.
• Space of Fiction | Monday – Friday, Oct. 20 – 24 | USC School of Cinematic Arts, SCI Lobby
A weeklong, interactive exhibit of Rilaoan multimedia artifacts that contextualize both the world of Rilao and the world building festival.
• Sound of Fiction | Friday, Oct. 24 • 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Downtown Los Angeles (RSVP tanyaabr@usc.edu for address)
A live, synchromedia concert in which crowd members are conductor and choreographer. Via spatialized sound and image mapping, light and sound beams are modeled and changed based on audience members’ gestures and dance movements.
Presented by Alex McDowell and the USC 5D Institute.
Special guests include Steve Anderson, Michael Backes, Ted Braun, Rick Carter, James Chinlund, Dr. Beth Coleman, Judith Crow, Nonny de la Pena, Paul Debevec, Thomas Demand, Scott Fisher, Pascal Forneri, Howard Goldkrand, Trevor Haldenby, Henry Jenkins, JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Thomas Evan Levy, Geoff Manaugh, Marlise McCormick, Tara McPherson, Amy Murphy, Hannu Rajaniemi, Candace Reckinger,Christine Schreyer, Dr. Jerry R. Schubel, Yuval Sharon, Chanel Summers, Frank Vitz, and Mark J. P. Wolf.