#360baleado is an audio-visual installation and 360° VR artwork showing the strengths and visibility of trans* communities in Brazil and Germany. The project creates a frame for trans* people to speak for themselves, be seen by each other and supports their visibility. The project also lives as an online artwork at www.360baleado.net
The exhibition shows a cluster of portraits in a dynamic installation that uses spatial and sonic interventions to create a sense of pluralism and porosity. Through a VR headset hung in the installation, visitors can see the participants playing „Baleado“, a simple and energetic ball game. The virtual video space and the actual space of the gallery merge visually and sonically, creating what sounds a looks like the memory of a temporary sports hall.
This sports hall was indeed created both in Brazil (2018) and Germany (2019). For the filming, a 360° camera was hung in the middle of this temporary sports field, capturing several games of several groups of trans* people. See the video below of one of the games - scroll in all directions to follow the game in 360 degrees.
In order to combine the virtual space with the actual space of the gallery, sound artist Will Saunders extracted the sound of the VR video and amplified it into the gallery space. What could be seen inside the VR headset could simultaneously be heard in the gallery space. Laughing, cheering, sounds of sports trainers squeaking were alternating with drumming influenced by Afro-Brazilian Candomblé rhythms and quiet contemplative moments.
#360baleado was made possible during the Vila Sul Residency Programme by the Goethe Institute, Salvador (Bahia), Brazil. Supported by Stadt Köln, Rubicon Köln, NGVT* NRW, Birken Apotheke, Studiobühne und Exlite 24 Werbesysteme.