Conglomerate

Conglomerate is an interactive pavilion, a hi-tech beehive made of hexagonal cells, a bio-mechanical globe that hosts different realities – over 50 Bulgarian stage and screen projects, separated into six genres – drama theatre, puppet theatre, opera, cinema, dance and performing arts. Why a beehive? The metaphor is provoked by the feeling of “common life” and “home” where different individualities and aesthetics coexist, collaborate, and cooperate in one “organism”.

The content, which is “hidden” inside the hive, has two dimensions – a virtual exhibition, coded into the walls (augmented reality) and bee helmets with VR headsets inside (virtual reality).

In both realities, viewers make their own personal selection.

The audience can observe the virtual exhibition by using a specially designed scanning tool that also “unlocks” 11 objects, represented by augmented reality – scannings of original puppets, costumes, masks.

In the VR sections marked with lighting hexagonal platforms, visitors put the bee helmets on and appear in the virtual reality where they can “dive” into different stage worlds. That immersive journey allows them to feel as if they are participants, witnesses of stage magic. At the same time, they unconsciously create a happening, themselves wearing the bee heads, behaving in a “non-human” way. That’s how the VR technology implies a bold principle – moving out of one world to perceive another. The “loss” of sight makes it possible to “see” beyond, there – on the stage. Technology overcomes its practical functions and gets a new meaningful context.

Conglomerate is an interactive stage-exhibition, inspired by the problem of transformation as an external and internal process as well as by the state of collective being in multiple realities.

Country/Region Bulgaria

Presenting Organization UBA Union of Bulgarian Artists

Curator Ognyana Serafimova

Curatorial Team Co-curators: Petar Mitev, Hanna Schwartz

Artists Albena Baeva, Aleksandra Yotkovska, Ani Vaseva, Antonia Popova, Boris Dalchev, Boris Delchev, Chavdar Ghiuzelev, Elena Shopova, Elitsa Georgieva, Emiliyan Bonev, Evgeniya Surbeva, Hanna Schwartz, Ivailo Nikolov & Iva Gikova, Ketty Marinova, Leda Ekimova, Marieta Golomehova, Marina Chervenkova, Marina Raytchinova, Martin Penev, Mira Kalanova, Miroslav Yordanov, Natalia Gocheva, Nikola Nalbantov, Nikola Toromanov, Nikolay Panayotov, Nikolina Kostova-Bogdanova, Ognyana Serafimova, Petar Mitev, Petya Boyukova, Petya Karadzhova, Polina Stoyanova, Ralitza Toneva, Rin Yamamura, Silva Bachvarova, Stayko Murdzhev, Stanimir Genov, Stanislav Pamukchiev, Stefan Donchev, Svila Velichkova, Vanina Geleva, Vasil Abadzhiev, Vasil Rokomanov, Venelin Shurelov, Yuliana Voykova-Naiman, Zlatna Mihaylova

Team Architects - Gergana Tileva, George Raffailov; Bee head masks - Tzvetana Vekova, Violeta Bankova, Martin Radoslavov, Emilyan Bonev; VR directing/editing - Momchil Alexiev, Kaloyan Nikolov, Lyubomira Kostova; VR development and programming - Dimo Chotrov; AR&3D modeling - Zlatka Uzunova; Graphic design - Dimitar Traychev, Teodora Simova, Mira Petrova; Project Manager - Svetlomira Stoyanova; Assistant managers - Gabriela Evstatieva, Siyana Nedyalkova, Natalia Alexieva, Desislava Chuturkova, Stephan Prohorov, Ketty Marinova, Emilia Klayn, Albena Spasova, Maria Pavlova, Julia Portarova; Technical assistants - Darena Doneva, Valentina Docheva, Sava Kisiov, Martin Radoslavov, Boris Manolov, George Mitkov, Velichka Djambazova, Lyubika Georgieva, Tzetzka Ivaylova, Svilen Nikolov; Photographer - Teodora Todorova