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Right now, more than 80,000 people are in solitary confinement in the US - locked in tiny concrete boxes where every element of their environment is controlled. 

Synopsis

Right now, more than 80,000 people are in solitary confinement in the US, locked in tiny concrete boxes where every element of their environment is controlled. They spend 22-24 hours a day in their cells, with little to no human contact for days or even decades. The sensory deprivation they endure causes severe psychological damage. These people are invisible to us—and eventually to themselves. This powerful VR piece invites you to experience first-hand what life is like in solitary confinement.
Co-created by The Guardian and The Mill www.theguardian.com/solitary-vr
*Please bring earphones to participate in this experience.

6x9: An Immersive Experience of Solitary Confinement will be available in the Furman Gallery at the Walter Reade Theatre from 7:30pm to 9:30pm from June 10 to 18. *This installation is free and open to the public. It is presented in conjunction with the Special Event - Discussion Panel: The Emerging World of Virtual Reality and Human Rights. 

 

Credits

Francesca Panetta

Special Projects Editor, The Guardian

Francesca Panetta is a multi-award winning sound artist and journalist. She works for the Guardian as a Special Projects Editor leading on projects which innovate in storytelling. Working with journalists and multimedia producers, developers and designers, she has commissioned and directed flagship pieces such asFirestorm, The Shirt on Your Back, the View from the Shard, The First World War: an interactive multilingual interactive documentary. In addition to her work at the Guardian, Francesca works as a sound artist specialising in binaural sound design and non-linear storytelling, usually in physical landscapes. Francesca talks around the world about digital storytelling and innovation in audio.