Public Encounters: Using New Media Technologies to Build Community Violeta Ayala

Join artist, writer, and film director Violeta Ayala as she discusses the making of “Prison X: The Devil and The Sun,” an immersive ‘play’ staged in VR created using the 3-D painting technology Tilt Brush. Set in Bolivia’s San Sebastian prison, “Prison X: The Devil and The Sun” immerses participants into the social dynamics of the prison while simultaneously placing them in a world of Incan and Quechan mythology.

Violeta Ayala is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, artist and technologist. She is the first Quechua member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Violeta’s credits include the VR animation Prison X (2021) and the award-winning documentaries Cocaine Prison (2017), The Fight (2017), The Bolivian Case (2015) and Stolen (2009). Her films have premiered at A-List film festivals including Sundance and Toronto, distributed in cinemas, broadcasted on PBS, Channel 8, Señal Colombia, Ibermedia, World and online platforms such as Amazon Prime and The Guardian. She has won over 50 awards including a Walkley (Australia’s Pulitzer) and nominations for the IDA (Los Angeles), Rory Peck (London), Platino (Panama) and Fenix (Mexico). Artist website: www.violetaayala.com.