Radiance VR

The Goethe-Institut is proud to licence the Radiance VR art app for cultural and educational use at the Institute in downtown Toronto.

Radiance VR, developed by German XR curator Dr. Tina Sauerländer and Prof. Philip Hausmeier ( Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany), provides access to 48 VR Art Experiences (360 degree videos) by a diverse international selection of artists, incl. Swan Collective, Dennis Rudolph, Mona el Gammal, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, the winners of the 2021 and 2023 VR Art Prizes by DKB Lauren Moffatt and Mohsen Hazrati, and many more.

How and why are virtual worlds created, which programs result in which visual design, and how do users receive and perceive the metaverse? Virtual Reality Art is one of the most complex digital applications and particularly well suited to illustrate urgent themes as well as technical aspects such as 360-degree video, 3D modeling, animation, and interaction, artificial intelligence and VR's potential for non-linear storytelling. Radiance's focus lies in cultural backgrounds, social significance, diversity, and different aesthetics of virtual worlds.

The Radiance app is conceived for a broad range of audiences, from teachers interested in increasing digital media literacy to their students, to curators or media festival directors wanting to showcase VR Art, to artists  and students exploring digital tools and their creative applications, e.g. in the fields of digital art, art history, media theory, visual communication, theatre, performance, film, animation, design.

The app is installed on Meta Quest headsets at the Goethe-Institut Toronto.  A booklet on Radiance VR, the history of VR Art and on each of the exhibited artworks is provided on site.

Part of the program reOpen Minds: Adapting to the Future
Presented by the Goethe-Institut Toronto
Curated by Jutta Brendemühl & Sanjay Khanna
Under the auspices of Prof. Gesche Joost, President of the Goethe-Institut