JVC launches VR experience at Ashford Designer Outlet
Posted on 2 February 2022World-renowned Jasmin Vardimon Company and McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford are collaborating this February to bring dance to everyone as the first stop on a multi-sensory experience tour.
‘Alice in VR Wonderland’ is an immersive adaptation of the timeless tale by Lewis Carroll, presented through the filter of Jasmin Vardimon’s unique creative process.
From Tuesday 8 February, audiences will be invited to enter a specially designed truck for a 20-minute experience. Using a Virtual Reality headset with 3D sound, audience members will be immersed in a spectacular 360-degree VR wonderland and feel up close with the talented performers from the Jasmin Vardimon Company in this multi-sensory adventure. Jasmin Vardimon Company has had great success merging the creativity of dance with emerging technology to create a new experience for its audiences.
Opening at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford just in time for some half term fun for all the family, the VR experience will stay on site for ten days before embarking on a tour of all McArthurGlen Designer Outlets, with the ambition to bring performance art to new audiences and enhance the guest experience.
This innovative new project has been made possible with the support of McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, Arts Council England, The Gulbenkian Theatre, Kent County Council and DanceEast, launching at a vital time following the impact which the creative industry has faced during the global pandemic.
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford and Jasmin Vardimon joined forces previously in May 2021 when the company debuted an immersive show entitled Canvas. This theatre piece saw a company of young dancers guide shoppers through the Centre, culminating in a spectacular centre-stage finale. The show raised money for two charitable organisations - the RNLI charity partner of McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Ashford and the Friends of the William Harvey Hospital.
The 2022 UK tour further represents the strong partnership between the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet and Jasmin Vardimon Company, as well as them both supporting the digital and creative industries.
Both organisations have enjoyed significant success and growth in Ashford over recent years. For instance, the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Ashford underwent a significant 100,000 sq ft expansion in 2019, which included over 30 new stores and created circa 500 jobs for the local community. It is also now home to Europe’s largest living wall, which was developed in partnership with green infrastructure company, Biotecture, to improve air quality and support biodiversity at the site.
Similarly, Jasmin Vardimon Company has gone from strength to strength since its relocation to Ashford in 2011. In fact, it is currently in the latter stages of developing its much-anticipated creative hub - ‘a state-of-the-art facility for the company to expand its activities locally, nationally and on the global stage.’ As well as studio space with eight metres of grid height, a fully sprung dance floor, lighting, sound and AV rig, the new space will also offer flexible spaces for the local community.
Tickets for the performances are available for free via the Eventbrite link here.
