MUNKINATION:
a second chance
Project Summary:
In 2019, Munkination won the Immersive Opera Award and was given the opportunity to develop a virtual reality (VR) project centred around climate change and the hope for humanity, scored with a hybrid of Opera and Trap/Hip-Hop Music.
Partnering with the Royal Opera House, we developed VR, AR, and RR prototypes for two years. Originally conceived as a comic book when I was just 15 years old in boarding school in South Africa, "Munkination" evolved into “Munkination: A Second Chance”; an immersive story that placed the audience at the centre of a futuristic adventure.
The project blends AR (Augmented Reality) and VR elements with a unique graphic world and a hybrid hip-hop/trap and opera score recorded and produced with live opera singers. Our goal for the project was to engage younger and more diverse audiences with opera, new tech, and complex social issues, later showcasing it in the UK, Denmark, and the USA.
Role:
Founder, Creative Director, Lead Artist & Composer
Partners:
Award (s):
Immersive Opera Award, Creative XR
WHICH CHARACTER ARE YOU?
Below are images and descriptions of the FOUR main archetypes within the world of Munkination. In the battle against climate apocalypse you are one of them, choose wisely.
WARRIOR
An activist who overcomes challenges, thrives in adversity, and fights for the good of the tribe.
Your primary characteristic traits are bravery, determination and ambition.
Examples: Activists, Leaders, Politicians, Organisers.
PATHFINDER
An influencer who spreads the word, builds bridges and encourages others to follow the right path.
Your primary characteristic traits are charisma, intelligence and wisdom.
Examples: Influencers, Campaigners, Celebrities, Press
SHAMAN
A storyteller weaving narratives about the past and the future and fulfilling spiritual needs.
Your primary characteristic traits are compassion, intuition and imagination.
Examples: Artists, Actors, Writers, Poets, Musicians
MAKER
An inventor with the ability to find solutions to any problem, a risk taker who strives towards a greater future.
Your primary characteristic traits are curiosity, open mind and courage.
Examples: Problem-Solvers, Scientists, Inventors
BACKGROUND
Munkination started as a spark of imagination during my teenage years in a South African boarding school. At just 15, I envisioned an afrofuturistic realm where the last tribe on Earth grapples with the aftermath of a devastating climate crisis. This initial concept not only captured my creative spirit but also laid the groundwork for what would become an award-winning immersive experience.
In 2019, this vision garnered the Immersive Development Award and caught the attention of the prestigious Royal Opera House. Together, we transformed Munkination into an innovative trap-opera, blending cutting-edge virtual and augmented reality technology to create a uniquely educational and entertaining experience.
The project's success catapulted it onto the international stage, leading to invitations to join esteemed programs like CPH:LABS in Copenhagen and the Creative XR Programme in London. In 2020, Munkination was a finalist for the Fedora Digital Prize, affirming its significance and impact within the digital arts community.
Today, as the creative director, I am privileged to steer Munkination’s ongoing development. This journey—from a teenager's idea to a globally recognized project—reflects the unpredictable yet thrilling path of creative pursuits. It's a continual reminder of how initial sparks of imagination can light up the world.
MUNKINATION
“A TRIP DOWN
MEMORY LANE”
A prototype augmented reality (AR) app for iPhones & Androids which places the audience member at the centre of a futuristic adventure story about climate change. This app is the first glimpse into the Munkination world.
Created for Creative XR in 2020.
A Concept by HAM the Illustrator.
Executive Producers
Royal Opera House:
Artistic Director and Head of Audience Labs – Annette Mees
Senior Producer, Audience Labs – Sam King
Project Producer – Eva Liparova
Technical Partners
Visualise:
Technical Lead, Co-founder and XR Supervisor – Henry Stuart
Producer – Richard Loader
3D Sound Designer – Henrik Opperman
Creative Team
Creative Director - HAM
Music Composer - HAM
Lead VR Artist – Kayleigh Eliza
Opera Singers:
Soprano – Gweneth-Ann Rand
Baritone – Ross Ramgobin
Voice overs:
Voiceover writer – Simone Ibbet-Brown
Voiceover Artist – Gweneth-Ann Rand
Munkination AR Demo - Creative XR, 2020
CREATIVE XR:
THE MUNKINATION APP
Our AR app, developed in collaboration with Visualise, introduces an innovative way to experience storytelling. By placing a virtual 'portal' in your physical surroundings, you can step through it and follow the guidance of a member from the Usan tribe, who speaks from the future.
Once you walk through this portal, you enter a visually abstract representation of the future—an immersive descent through time into a progressively darker world. This environment and its animations were crafted using a VR painting tool called 'Tilt Brush'. The virtual landscape was brought to life by artist Kayleigh Eliza, who drew inspiration from HAM and the Royal Opera House to create this stunning depiction of the Munkination narrative.
As you navigate this journey, an incredible soundtrack—composed jointly by HAM and the Royal Opera House—plays in the background. The audio is spatially tracked, enhancing your immersion and helping to anchor you within the context of this new world. At the journey's end, you encounter four members of the San tribe, setting the stage for the next phase of the experience involving intricate face masks.
Ultimately Munkination was built to raise awareness in climate change, this is just a small part of the bigger Munkination story, but one that we hope will open more doors (and portals) for this brilliant concept in the future.