As our Hub continues to grow, we welcome and introduce our new XR Hub teams and update with the latest news of our existing teams. These articles have been written based on interview questions answered by the teams themselves. If you have missed the previous articles, you can find them in the Hub Team Introductions category!
Next up is Parallel Universe!
Parallel Universe
Parallel Universe is a Virtual Reality experience and 360° degree dome movie. Parallel Universe explores the birth of humanity when the Anunnaki from Planet X genetically engineered the ancient Sumerians to collect gold for them.
Parallel Universe Trailer
What is the idea/mission behind your team?
Our team Parallel Universe is developing a VR experience and domefilm called “Parallel Universe”. Domefilm is ready now and the premiere is 24th of May 2024 at Heureka Science Centre Planetarium.
We have been testing the workflow of doing domefilm and VR experience hand in hand with Unreal Engine 5. Parallel Universe VR experience is a demo version so far.
Our first topic was conspiracy theories. We ended up developing an art experience of combination of different pseudo beliefs like Annunnakies creating people to Tellus and flat earth theory.
Tell us about your team members!
Our team is an indie art team who has wide experience of media arts, sound art, electronic music and event producing but also game design and motion graphics.
Suvi Parrilla is a media artist who has been working as an performance- and video artist, VJ (visual jockey) and curator of media arts. Her aesthetics is characterized by neo psychedelic images, NeoKalevala, sensory hyperstimulation and a profound conneection with nature. She is also on the board of an audiovisual art festival called Aavistus Festival. Since 2015 she has worked every year doing domeprojections since 2015 in Kosmos Festival.
Heba Rinkinen is one of the pioneers of Finnish electronic music, game designer at legendary Habbo Hotel and in the late years he has done motion graphic design for Bright and Creative Technology. He is also a talented AI video designer specialized at video morphing.
Aliisa Koivisto is a sound designer and electronic music composer. She has been studying sound art at Sibelius Academy and her electronic music is known worldwide from India to Finland .
Jenni Korento-Salmi is a well known DJ and cultural producer. In addition to Parallel Universe she works as a producer in ARVO team and MatchXR 2024 event.
Team Parallel Universe has members like Niina Kahela , 3D designer who made character designs of Anunnaki. Soon she was hired to work at Helsinki XR Center as a 3D designer. Janne Partanen made his on the job training as assisting 3D designer and Mikko Höök from Helsinki XR Center had helped a lot solving Unreal Engine challenges.
Why did you decide to join Helsinki XR Center’s XR developer hub?
Suvi Parrilla got a grant from Arts Promotion Centre Finland for VR production and soon Jussi Salonen offered her the opportunity to create the project at Helsinki XR Centre. Helsinki XR Centre has offered a great support with studio spaces, mentoring and XR development.
When did you join the XR Hub, and how long had your team existed before joining?
Our hub team started at XR Centre at March 2023. Now we have been there for one year.
As a part of the XR Hub, how has your experience been so far?
Working at XR Hub has been a fantastic experience. Our team has learned a lot of Unreal Engine, pitching, VR development and producing. It has been such an honour to get access do latest XR devices and participate in visits by XR experts.
What is the most interesting or exciting thing about extended reality?
We are all enthusiastic about the latest technologies. Suvi has been doing workshops and experiments with VR since 2017. Her interest is now to develop Parallel Universe to Apple Vision Pro. Heba is fashinated of AI video animation and in a short time he has already done several music videos with AI artists like Jimi Python and Praktika which is one of his several music projects. Aliisa has an interest in spatial sound producing.
Parallel Universe contact
Suvi Parrilla: suvicita(at)gmail.com
Also check out our website Parallel Universe
This post is a part of the article series about Helsinki XR Center’s hub teams, running since 2020. This is your chance to get to know our talented XR community!
If you missed the earlier XR Hub team introductions, they are available in our website’s News section.
Follow our social media channels and website’s News section to stay posted for new articles!