In Development

Care

 

SYNOPSIS

You are sitting in a cozy, reassuring spa. A young woman is taking care of you. She washes you, massages you, performs various actions to give you a sense of well-being and, according to her, wash your «karma». She also uses ASMR techniques, soft sounds that tickles your brain and relaxes your whole body.

Yet, little by little, inconsistencies creep into her flirtatious behavior, the reassuring sounds she produces with her material become more disturbing, objects she uses seem to be intended for something else than your pleasure… Without ever losing the honey in her voice or the smile on her lips, the young woman straps you: you are trapped.

Care is a dark parodic comedy mocking ASMR and wellness experiences. The over-sensitiveness of the senses usually deployed for this kind of experiences is ironically used into a gore experience. Turns out the human body is a good source of soothing sounds after all…

 

HIGHLIGHTS

The ASMR is a theory stating that one can induce by a sound stimuli (and sometimes visual stimuli) a cognitive reaction close to hypnosis. Inspired by this theory, many videos of relaxation has appeared on social networks, with sometimes a strong erotic bias.

Care is a satirical experience in virtual reality. It uses ASMR codes and binaural sound to create a pleasant feeling of relaxation that will gradually tilt into a horrifying experience. Ironically, the ASMR effect remains, as the young woman lasciviously digs into your entrails. 

Care questions the “genre”, mixing sound and visual cues from wellness videos, ASMR, or the blooming art of VR porn, creating a satirical experience as far as possible from the usual horror jumpscares. It mocks the principle of using VR for primal sensory experiences, like rides and roller-coasters, or “political activism” immersions into horrible situations. Its structure also question the VR medium, challenging evidence such as interactivity or embodiment.

 

CREDITS

12min VR experience by Cédriane Fossat

An original production by Digital Rise, with the support of Pictanovo