As time goes on and as more and more people have a chance to experience good, cutting edge virtual reality, advocates for the technology are springing up in the most unlikely of places. Now, actor and all round patron of the arts Kevin Spacey has gone on record saying he believes immersive technology holds the future of entertainment, so much so he’s invested in a VR company.
Kevin Spacey has proved a savvy observer of compelling trends in entertainment over the years. He was one of the first actors not only to believe in streaming technology, instrumental in bringing Netflix exclusive series House of Cards to our screens, he’s now proving he’s got his finger on the pulse when it comes to emergent immersive technologies too.
Speaking exclusively to the The Australian Financial Review ahead of an appearance at a conference in Brisbane next week, Spacey revealed that he believes virtual reality’s time has come. “A lot of the early problems with the technology have been solved,” Spacey says, “it’s time for the content creators to produce”.
To that end, and in keeping with his patronage of the arts (he was Artistic Director at London’s historical Old Vic theater between 2003 and 2015), he has chosen to put his money where is mouth is and invested in a company called WoofbertVR, a startup dedicated to bringing art from galleries around the world to the virtual realm. They describe themselves as allowing people to “Explore the world’s great museums and cultural destinations from the home, office, or classroom”. The company is currently seeking partnerships from galleries right now. You can find Woofbert on the Oculus Store for Gear VR right now.
Spacey himself is well respected both as an actor and as a patron of the arts. As virtual reality emerges, pushing into the public realm next year, both creators and consumers will be naturally skeptical of such a potentially disruptive technology. The industry needs more public figures like Spacey to actively get involved in the technology acting as advocates to help break those preconceptions down.
Feature Photo Courtesy The Old Vic Theatre
