transmission is a story, first and foremost. Step into our imagined world.
We know we are no longer alone in the universe when we begin to receive the popular broadcasts of an alien civilization 4.22 light years away on Proxima b, our closest potentially habitable exoplanet. A new space race is ignited as humanity works to decipher the broadcasts and send a delegation on the trip of a few lifetimes.
transmission tells the story of two brilliant sisters: Leila and Zada Karam. First generation Canadians, Leila and Zada were born in Toronto as children of Syrian refugees. Both selected for their respective expertise to join a mission to meet our celestial neighbours; one decides to go and one decides to stay.
But we might be getting ahead of ourselves…
Transmission has several major components:
The Mission Briefing: Our Live Show
In which Commander Leila Karam (the sister who leaves) briefs her crew before their departure on the the Saena — that’s the name of the ship. The audience is imagined as that crew, all of whom are about to permanently leave earth to begin the journey to meet an extraterrestrial civilization.
Our live show dives into the complexities of interstellar travel and what it means to leave your home forever.
Augmented Reality scenes set in the world of transmission
29 scenes distributed through the city of Edinburgh show the events leading up to, and following, the launch the interstellar journey. In these, we meet Leila’s family and closest friends and advisors, learn about who they are, and discover how they are coping with Leila’s departure.
These scenes include:
- Four Site-Specific Live Pieces
- Sixteen Video Scenes, many of which are VR
- Nine immersive Audio Scenes
The Saena Launch Party
Imagine that it’s the night before the big launch of the most audacious journey ever undertaken by humans. We invite Festival go-ers to party with the crew of the Saena. Join us for a toast, music by The Blueswater and Myles Avery, a chance to interact with the crew, drinks, and dancing.
Podcast Series
Launched in April, we’re release a full 16 episode season of the Transmission Podcast to give the background on the science to back up this whole story and give special insight into the world of Transmission. Have you listened yet? If not, check it out.
So, that’s a total of 45 scenes, and nearly 13 hours of content. Phew!