From Dust | Virtual Reality Opera

Explore the boundaries of reality and identity in From Dust, a cutting-edge virtual reality opera installation that is tailor-made by you and for you using AI. Composed and directed by Michel van der Aa, and performed by the mesmerising vocal ensemble Sjaella.

You enter a dark room. Soon you see a cloud of small particles in front of you, swarming in the air like a flock of starlings. When you put your hand into the cloud, the particles slowly transform into the shape of a woman. A second version of her splits off from the original. The eyes of these two figures meet yours and they begin to sing.

Are you a spectator or a participant in this world?

During this 24-minute journey, each audience-of-one will take part in a personalized story. Through interacting with their surroundings, the audience will meet the protagonist and her five alter egos, performed by the six members of vocal ensemble Sjaella. The audiences themselves are the ones who create new worlds by walking through and touching the installation, bringing the various alter egos to life.

This multi-sensory experience will be tailored for each audience member with generative AI. As a co-creator, you are the counterpart of the main character. You do not just passively watch but actively shape your own story. (All personal data and images are destroyed on completion of the experience.)

Van der Aa has made a career of integrating music and theatre with cutting-edge video and sound technology. His VR installation Eight garnered a headline in the New York Times, “A Breakthrough for Virtual Reality in Classical Music”. From Dust builds on these groundbreaking achievements, and will tell its story through music, live interaction and immersive visuals.

From Dust transcends the boundaries of traditional opera and takes you to the forefront of immersive storytelling and personalised art.

On December 3rd, From Dust will have its world premiere for invited guests, press, and VIPs.

With additional support by Holland Festival and