The Extended Reality (XR) Exhibition will run alongside film screenings and events. The XR exhibition will be free to access during the festival, but space may be limited.

BLACKSTAR SANCTUARY
VR | USA | 2024 | 16m
Scottish Premiere
Blackstar Sanctuary is a virtual reality experience that immerses users in a world grounded in queer African spiritual and cosmological traditions. Upon donning a VR headset, users are transported to ancient Egypt, where they are welcomed by the Rainbow Serpent, a mythical figure who serves as a guide. Following the Serpent’s path, users explore a vast temple complex adorned with towering sculptures of 16 queer African deities, each embodying a unique facet of divinity, and visit the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, the earliest recorded same-sex couple in human history, dating back to 2500 BCE. As users navigate the temple’s sacred spaces, they undergo a ritual of transformation and rebirth, watched over by deities and ancestors. Blending virtual reality with queer history and spirituality, Blackstar Sanctuary reclaims and reanimates a long-suppressed lineage of queer African divinity and offers a powerful challenge to heteronormative interpretations of the past.

Creative Director: Marques Redd
Art Director: Mikael Owunna
3D Artist: Devin Smith
Sound Design: Cristii & Jabez Walsh

Opening Times
Thursday 29 October - Sunday 1 November: 11am - 6pm

Located in the Traverse Theatre Foyer/Saltire Court.