Thousands of undocumented migrants cross the border between the United States and Mexico every year, facing a dangerous journey in search of a better future. Now, through Carne y arena, a virtual reality installation, anyone can experience the role of a refugee attempting to cross that border.
A Seven-Minute Virtual Reality Experience
During the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant) presented Carne y arena, a virtual reality installation that allows people to experience the harsh life of a refugee attempting to cross the border. The seven-minute experience places the viewer among a group of immigrants guided by a Coyote—the people smugglers who operate along the US-Mexico border—until they are stopped by border patrol. The story is based on interviews Iñárritu conducted with Mexican and Central American refugees about their life stories.
Reception and Impact
"Virtually present, physically invisible" is Alejandro's subtitle for Carne y arena, describing how virtual reality changes the nature of the audience. This individual and dynamic experience has received an overwhelmingly positive response since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and continued to gain popularity and acclaim when exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where it drew significant international attention for its highly innovative nature and strong political message. The virtual work was also shown at the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco in Mexico City, where it was visited by more than twelve thousand people over 285 days until its closure last Wednesday. Carne y arena was created by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, with the collaboration of producer Mary Parent, Legendary Entertainment, and ILMxLAB.
