The World Came Flooding In

Melbourne International Film Festival partners with Now or Never for the world premiere of this immersive installation and creative VR documentary centred on the intimate stories of life during a natural disaster.

Through virtual reality, projections, miniatures, photographs and sound, The World Came Flooding In explores the rich inner world that remains when everything is washed away. Hear from three flood-affected individuals – Marina, Antoinette and Tom – as they share their personal stories of living through climate disaster. Separated by thousands of kilometres but united in their experience, their words create a powerful collective narrative.

Using cardboard and other simple materials, the artists recreate the lost homes of each storyteller in miniature. These models are then translated into virtual reality through photogrammetry, offering a wondrous 30-minute VR experience where you physically move through life-sized digital scans of these miniature rooms, guided by the voice of the person who lived there. Complementing the VR, the installation is a rich world of mixed media that deepens the virtual-reality narrative, with sculptural miniatures containing an augmented reality experience. Photographs of furniture created during community workshops, along with projections and sound design, extend the story, creating a multifaceted exploration of personal memory, loss and transcendence.

“To actually walk in this misty world of the holograms brought my cells right back together in attention to the excitement of new perspectives, and therefore new possibilities to adventure.” – Frances Danon, project contributor and Lismore flood survivor