Part of Canada on Screen, 2167 is a series comprised of four VR experiences created by Indigenous filmmakers and artists who conceptualized Indigenous life 150 from now (TIFF, 2021). The project epitomizes ‘Indigenous futurism’ and its potential to reorient both the use and philosophical underpinnings of VR and AR technology. The project has toured extensively around Canada, ranging from Yellowknife to Fredericton (TIFF, 2021); it had partnered with imagineNATIVE to usher the immersive media project (grunt, 2017). Combining science fiction and alternate realities, Indigenous creators design media works that not only speculate about Indigenous places and people in the future, but also explore the extremely nuanced and complex histories of Indigenous peoples and the impacts of colonialism (grunt, 2017). Western notions of temporality are directly challenged through 2167, in addition to incorporating non-linear notions of time inherent in Indigenous metaphysics.
Figure 1. 2167 at boombox 2017 (2021). TIFF. TIFF. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
Many of these creators have expressed a high degree of enthusiasm to challenge and “rewrite” dominant Western narratives perpetuating the idea that Indigenous cultures are simply “stuck in the past”. One creator growing up in Saskatchewan expressed that nothing reflected personal experiences and that current representations are rather problematic (TIFF, 2021).
References
grunt. (2017). 2167, An Indigenous VR Project. grunt. Retrieved from https://grunt.ca/exhibitions/2167-an-indigenous-vr-project/
TIFF. (2021). Indigenous Virtual Futures during Canada on Screen: the 2167 project. TIFF. Retrieved from https://tiff.net/action-report/fall2017/indigenous-virtual-futures