Alternate Realities is Sheffield DocFest's programme for exhibiting and showcasing innovative non-fiction and immersive documentary in all forms. Since 2015, Alternate Realities has commissioned over ten new works by international artists working in a range of media. If you're thinking of applying for the commission this year, take a closer look at some of the artists and artworks we've commissioned in the past.
FINAL DAYS, Heather Phillipson, 2015
One of the first Alternate Realities commissions, Heather Phillipson's FINAL DAYS immersed viewers in an alternative shopping experience. Formed of a large sculptural and video installation, viewers were invited into Castle House, a then abandoned Sheffield City Centre lot which previously housed the well-known indoor Castle Market. With a cutting sense of humour and a fresh take on the follies of online shopping, Final Days presented a unique approach to video installation. With work exhibited in solo shows at Tate Britain, BALTIC, Whitechapel Gallery and the ICA, now a large ice-cream sundae titled, THE END, sits on the Fourth Plinth outside the National Gallery in London, proving Phillipson has not lost her wit.
Future Aleppo, Alex Pearson/Marshmallow Laser Feast, 2017
Dreaming of a better future for his city Aleppo, the young Mohammed Kteish made drawings that reflected the places he once knew. Mohammed's drawings developed into a large paper model of the city, one which Alex Pearson sought to preserve in digital form via an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience. Starting with a series of workshops, Pearson introduced children from around the world to Mohammed’s vision. The VR experience took them inside the paper city, where they could explore and learn as well as reconstruct the lost architecture alongside Mohammed. As well as being shown in multiple galleries across the world, with the support of UNHCR Turkey and OFID, Future Aleppo was taken to the Kahramanmaras Container camp and more children were invited to reimagine and reconstruct their fallen cities.
Face to Face, Michaela Holland and Michelle Gabel, 2017
Created by Michaela Holland and Michelle Gabel, Face to Face was an immersive documentation project about a woman (also named Michelle), who lost her eyes, nose and upper palate to a shotgun blast, leaving her blind and unable to smell. She now wears a facial prosthesis. Michelle Gabel met Michaela Holland who allowed this project to develop into an immersive virtual reality piece which placed the user into aspects of the woman's daily life. Looking at the traumatic after-effects of gun injury, the work placed family resilience at the centre of the story. The Guardian described the work as 'gut-wrenching, visceral and heartbreaking.'
Spectre, Bill Posters and Daniel Howe, 2019
According to Bill Posters, Spectre invited audiences 'to worship at the altar of Dataism'. A cynical look at social media, this work revealed the darkness of data and how it continues to influence our daily experiences online. Displayed as an interactive video installation, through data-capturing and via a voting booth, Spectre interrogated the moral implications of our daily digital interactions. Spectre created global conversations about the power of digital influence receiving press coverage from The New York Times, France24, La Republica, Le Monde, BBC World Service, The Guardian and many more.
In Posse, Charlotte Jarvis, 2020
In her Corpus series, Charlotte Jarvis has shown her interest in the body from a biological and an artistic perspective. Part of the same series and a collaboration with Dr. Susana Chuva de Sousa Lopes, In Posse documented the quest to make semen from "female" cells. The work engaged with semen as a revered magical substance, a totem of literal and symbolic potency, and aimed to use art and science to disrupt the patriarchy. During Sheffield DocFest 2021, In Posse took many forms: as a beautiful installation which invited visitors to sit at the table and learn about science and patriarchal histories, as a film screening at the Showroom cinema, and as a reimagining of the ancient Greek Thesmophoria festival, the details of which were kept deliberately secret by workshop participants. Read our interview with Jarvis to find out more about this endlessly fascinating work.
The Registry, Alex Tyson, 2021
Commissioned during our hybrid festival in 2021, The Registry was a two-channel moving image installation by Los Angeles-based artist and independent filmmaker Alex Tyson. An evolution from his past works of formally innovative documentary film, The Registry was the artist’s first narrative work, an elliptical, layered psychological horror bringing together multiple storylines. Embedded within the narrative threads were topics salient to the documentary/non-fiction field: the afterlives of images of war and their fictional representation; the potential tokenisation of subjects, stories, and makers by the industry; and the ethical dilemmas arising from the commercialisation of the stock image/footage market. An adpated version of The Registry will be online through Los Angeles-based film production company MEMORY from February 25–March 3.
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Alternate Realities is open to work in a range of formats and media. Below are some media we have previously shown in our exhibition programme, however, we are always open to new media and technologies.
- 360° video
- Artificial Intelligence / AI
- Audio / Sound
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Game
- Digital Installation
- Extended Reality (XR)
- Interactive Documentary
- Mixed Reality (MR)
- Motion Comic
- Moving Image / Video / Expanded Cinema
- Interdisciplinary Performance
- Virtual Reality (VR)
If you have questions about the Alternate Realities 2022 commission, please contact alternaterealities@sheffdocfest.com
To submit a work to be considered for the 2022 Alternate Realities commission, follow this link.
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Image Credits
In Posse, Fox Moon Photography, 2021
FINAL DAYS, Heather Phillipson, 2015
Future Aleppo, Alex Pearson, 2017
Face to Face, Michaela Holland and Michelle Gabel, 2017
Spectre, James Clarkson, 2019
In Posse, Fox Moon Photography, 2021
The Registry, Fox Moon Photography, 2021
