Michael Samyn, Compassie, 2021 (screenshot)
Artist, designer, and professor Michaël Samyn has just released Compassie, an artistic software program for tethered VR. Compassie is a virtual reality diorama with the theme of pietà. The player takes the place of the holy virgin holding the lifeless body of Christ. And she contemplates his death staring into an abyss of endless darkness. According to Samyn, Compassie “is about loss. An opportunity to mourn for the things that have disappeared. Or are about to disappear. On a personal level. But also on a global level. I believe we are living through a time of transition. What will need to be sacrificed for our salvation? How will our new lives be in the new world? How will we cope with all the things that will disappear? How can we mourn the enormous loss that we are in the process of experiencing"?”
Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn in front of the Duomo cathedral in Milan
Michaël Samyn is one half of Song of Songs, formerly Tale of Tales. Tale of Tales was the independent videogames studio of Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn responsible for indie milestones such as The Endless Forest, The Graveyard, The Path and Luxuria Superbia. Compassie is the second release by Song of Songs, after Cricoterie in September 2018. Compassie is the first diorama published under the umbrella of the the ongoing Cathedral-in-the-Clouds project that was Kickstarted in November 2015 and for which the couple recently moved to Rome, Italy. Cathedral-in-the-Clouds aims to become a collection of contemplative pieces inspired by Christian iconography in art. Samyn teaches GAME ART alongside Auriea Harvey in the Master of Art in Game Design at IULM University.
Watch an extended trailer below:
LINK: Michaël Samyn's Compassie (all images and videos courtesy of the Artist)