History of The Project:
The ORIXA Project was created in 2019 while Reese Antoinette and MaryAnn Talavera attended New York University’s Tisch School of The Arts. As graduate students they received the NYU Tisch Interdepartmental grant in 2020, and ORIXA continued to develop and grow. Throughout the pandemic, MaryAnn and Reese pushed ORIXA forward and the project received residence at Columbia University, Barnard College’s Movement Lab Fall / Winter 2022. The ORIXA Project is now a part of the Future of Storytelling Explorer Program 2023, and are members of ONX studios.

What is the ORIXA Project?
ORIXA is a mixed reality installation exploring Black narratives of the past, present, and future through the use of virtual reality, 360 video, augmented reality, and volumetric capture technologies. ORIXA consists of:

asé meus ancestrais, a virtual reality experience that brings the user into the past as they view a capoeira roda (circle) on the shores of Bahia, Brazil.

4 Black People Breathing Peacefully For Five Minutes is a 360 short film exploring a moment of peace and healing between a group of friends within the backdrop of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Intergalaxys transports users to the future through a series of augmented reality portraits of three Black womxn of the future.

The Experience is a live performance that incorporates asé meus ancestrais, 4 Black People Breathing Peacefully For Five Minutes, and Intergalaxys with theater, film, virtual reality and digital media. Explore the ORIXA Experience

The ORIXA Project employs a variety of mixed reality technology, making use of tools such as the Unity, Unreal Engine, 3D character creation softwares, and 360 and volumetric cameras.   The culminating installation includes live performances by actors and dancers. The goal of this project is to provide an entertaining, educational, and healing space.

With this project we honor our ancestors, celebrate our cultures across nations, and aim to build a brighter future through art and technology.