The Awake
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The Awake is an immersive dance VR inspired by the lived reality of ALS. Using the metaphor of a frozen curse, it portrays lives trapped within silent bodies. Through abstract movement and theatrical language, dancers embody the inner voices of patients, expressing struggle, guilt, and longing. Everyday objects—a motionless wheelchair, drifting curtains, a dining table for two, a fish in its bowl—gradually dissolve under the weight of illness. As reality and virtuality intertwine, the work unfolds as a poetic journey between fear and release, inviting viewers to confront fragility, resilience, and the unyielding will of life.
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2025 |
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27 minutes |
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All Ages |
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No Dialogue |
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Taiwan |
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VR 360 |
trailer
ARTIST
Hsiao-Ting Hsieh & Hsiao-Wei Hsieh - Directors
Hsiao-Wei
and Hsiao-Ting Hsieh are twin sisters and co-Artistic Directors of InTW Studio, an interdisciplinary performing arts collective founded in
Taiwan. With backgrounds in Medical Laboratory Science/Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine, they trained in contemporary dance at Trinity
Laban/LABAN and the Martha Graham School in New York. Their practice spans contemporary dance, theater, site-specific performance, and
immersive technologies, exploring the relationships between the body, space, environment, and virtual realms. Their first VR dance work, The
Awake, uses embodied choreography and immersive technology to explore bodily confinement, communication, and human dignity through the lived
experience of ALS.
awards & festivals
2026
- NewImages Festival — XR Competition — XR Competition Special Mention, Humanity Award (Paris, France)
- NewImages Festival — XR Distribution Market (Paris, France)
- FIVARS — Festival of International Virtual & Augmented Reality Stories — Official Selection VR
- Social World Film Festival — Official Selection Vision VR
- Aegean Film Festival — Official Selection VR/Immersive Section — Best VR & Immersive Award
- Melbourne International Film Festival — XR Section
- FrontDoc — International Documentary Festival
Credits
Performers: Chun-Ming Peng, Chen Hsu, Pei-Shao Huang, Pei-Chun Shih, Yu-Chieh Kao ■ Directors: Hsiao-Ting Hsieh, Hsiao-Wei Hsieh ■ Producer: Han Lee ■ Production Designer: Yu-Ting Tung ■ Music Designer: Nai-Chuan Cheng ■ Sound Designer: Chin-Lun Kao ■ VR Supervisor: Ming-Yuan Chuan (Funique VR Studio) ■ VR Cinematography: William Chou, Ming-Yuan Chuan (Funique VR Studio) ■ Presented by: InTW Studio ■ Co-Produced by: Funique VR Studio