Last summer something happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, a 21-year-old Japanese video game franchise became a 21st-century runaway hit with the help of the smartphone. After years of hype around the return of virtual reality, Pokemon Go leap-frogged VR and turned augmented reality into a household name. It was clear that we were ready for new ways of looking at the world.
With technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence finally reaching the mainstream, we're on the cusp of a creative revolution. New mediums have given birth to a new class of artists, entertainers, filmmakers and musicians, limited only by their access to and understanding of technology. Despite this explosion in creative possibilities, however, artists, entertainers and technologists often exist in distinct, isolated worlds. Today, Engadget is doing its part to bring those worlds together.
On November 16th, 2017, we'll bring together some of the brightest minds in art, entertainment and technology to explore the unique challenges facing today's creative pioneers. With The Engadget Experience, a one-day event in the historic United Artists Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, California, we'll attempt to bridge the gap between these often-disparate worlds, through a series of talks, interviews, screenings and installations.
But we're not just paying lip service -- we're paying artists. To be specific, we've gathered a small committee of technology and art tastemakers to award five grants of up to $100,000 a piece toward the production of ongoing or original works addressing the theme of alternate realities.
We'll select, fund and showcase works that demonstrate the potential of new, immersive mediums and give our audience the chance to engage, not only with the art but also with the people making it. A short documentary series, which will debut alongside those five projects at The Engadget Experience, will follow our committee as they bring the show together and the selected artists as they create their projects.
For more information on The Engadget Experience and the Alternate Realities grant program, visit our events page.