A 1989-themed acid house VR experience was unveiled as part of Coventry, England’s “City of Culture” programming.
Titled “In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats,” the room-scale, multi-sensory VR experience tasks viewers with tracking down an illegal, all-night rave. On their way, they’ll explore bedroom walls decorated with posters and flyers, a pirate radio station, the event venue itself, and a police station. At an estimated 30 minutes, the project aims to address “universal themes of community, politics, and class disruption.”
Darren Emerson, the project’s director, said about the experience, “With ‘In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats’ I want to take audiences back to the thrill of one night in 1989. It’s a familiar tale of the acid house experience, understood and lived by many.”
Coventry, just east of Birmingham, became an epicenter of illegal rave culture in the late ’80s and early ’90s. It is currently designated as a “U.K. City of Culture,” a title that it will hold on to until January 1st, 2025. During that period the city of Coventry receives funding to improve its infrastructure and arts facilities as well as hosting numerous events celebrating the local culture.
The experience is set to run from March 29th to May 1st of 2022. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 28th, and can be purchased here.
