Virtual reality is becoming more accessible to larger audiences. Often, however, thrown to the wayside is artistic merit and the medium's philosophical implications. Brothers Sam and Andy Rolfes use VR along with other emerging technologies to highlight the absurdity of life, dream up ironic characters, and make anti-capitalist statements. In their hands, VR becomes an envoy for a greater purpose.
This lecture went not just into the how but the why of the Team Rolfes approach to VR. Here, they demonstrated their tools, performance, and practice—and the mindset they approach them with. Sam and Andy gave a real-time demonstration of the techniques they are discussing; merging the philosophical with the physical.
About Team Rolfes
Team Rolfes is a pioneering virtual performance studio based in NYC, founded by directors Sam Rolfes and Andy Rolfes which pioneered real-time animation with VR puppets, motion-captured abstract avatars, and viscerally intense imagery derived directly from the nuances of human motion.
Team Rolfes' practice has expressed itself across a spectrum of formats, from livestream improvisational comedy, to live animation on stage, print design for fashion collections, album covers, and music videos for collaborators including Lady Gaga, Danny Elfman, Holly Herndon, Danny L Harle, Metallica, Amnesia Scanner, Lunice, Denzel Curry, Arca, Nike, Adult Swim, and music festivals across the world.
Virtual reality is becoming more accessible to larger audiences. Often, however, thrown to the wayside is artistic merit and the medium's philosophical implications. Brothers Sam and Andy Rolfes use VR along with other emerging technologies to highlight the absurdity of life, dream up ironic characters, and make anti-capitalist statements. In their hands, VR becomes an envoy for a greater purpose.
This lecture went not just into the how but the why of the Team Rolfes approach to VR. Here, they demonstrated their tools, performance, and practice—and the mindset they approach them with. Sam and Andy gave a real-time demonstration of the techniques they are discussing; merging the philosophical with the physical.
About Team Rolfes
Team Rolfes is a pioneering virtual performance studio based in NYC, founded by directors Sam Rolfes and Andy Rolfes which pioneered real-time animation with VR puppets, motion-captured abstract avatars, and viscerally intense imagery derived directly from the nuances of human motion.
Team Rolfes' practice has expressed itself across a spectrum of formats, from livestream improvisational comedy, to live animation on stage, print design for fashion collections, album covers, and music videos for collaborators including Lady Gaga, Danny Elfman, Holly Herndon, Danny L Harle, Metallica, Amnesia Scanner, Lunice, Denzel Curry, Arca, Nike, Adult Swim, and music festivals across the world.
Our Approach
Game-Making Practice
It's for everyone! We believe that game design and thinking is not limited to "the video game industry." It's a creative point of view that any discipline can use.
LEARN FROM Doing
Our workshops are focused on activities with a majority of time spent on making things.
this is only the start
You'll grow from here. We hope that this is a stepping stone for you to permanently work with the material of games.