Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Human Violins Wins European XR Award
Human Violins – Prelude, a VR project written and directed by Fulbright alumna Ioana Mischie about the transformative power of music, received the European XR Award for Best Art Direction.
“Human Violins – Prelude is based on true events, although it is deeply fictionalized. During my Fulbright scholarship, in 2018, I visited by chance an exhibition featuring a violin restored by Amnon Weinstein, that had been saved from the Holocaust. It’s a memory I’ve never been able to forget. I gradually began to learn more about the subject, and discovered that Jews could take an object with them to the camps. Many chose to bring their instrument, their violin. In some cases, the violins saved their lives. In others, the violins remained as eternal testimonies of human creativity. ” – Ioana Mischie for XRMust.
“We follow the fictionalized story of Alma, a 15-years- old violin lover inhabiting a world of terror. Through music, she can liberate herself. The user is offered the chance to play and take the legacy of her music further. The interactive playable architecture allows the user to transform the claustrophobic wires into instruments and advance the story.” – HUMAN VIOLINS – PRELUDE – XRMust
About the author
Co-founder of the production studio Storyscapes, Ioana Mischie is a Romanian transmedia artist and futurist, recognized for her innovative work in film, virtual reality, and transmedia storytelling. A Fulbright alumna, she has collaborated with prestigious institutions like University of Southern California’s Civic Imagination Lab. Her projects are showcased in over a hundred festivals and awarded internationally.