QUILLS is an adventurous artistic incubator shaping the future of storytelling by connecting the performing arts with XR. Conceived and executive produced by Nataki Garrett and led by Scarlett Kim, QUILLS FEST is a first-of-its-kind hybrid festival, commissioning program, and artist community, and has transformed the landscape of immersive, transmedia through modeling artist-centered innovation.
QUILLS FEST 2022 premiered the QUILLS VR WORLD, a gravity-defying VR twin of America’s oldest Elizabethan Theatre, built in Unreal and hosted on VAST, developed by field-first Creative Technologists in Residence, Cyril Tsiboulski and Illya Szilak. The festival unfolded in VR, on the web, and at in-person pop-ups at the Park Avenue Armory, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
QUILLS FEST 2021 launched a series of original commissions bringing together trailblazing theatre artists and creative technologists. The festival featured Roxane Gay as keynote speaker, and invited in global audiences through a VR social and exhibition space, built in collaboration with Artizen in Museum of Other Realities.
People's Telly Award - Immersive & Mixed Reality (Bronze), 2023
Auggie Awards - Best Art or Film (Finalist), 2023
"The future is here [. . .] and Quills Fest is taking the lead. Let us build a world of abundance and forge communities where technology is not a hindrance to equity but a tool accessible to all.” - Emmanuel Wilson, Dramatist's Guild
ANAKWAD by Ty Defoe, Dov Heichemer, alpha_rats
LOOM by Lemon Guo, Mengtai Zhang, Ethan Edwards
The Hanged Man by Daniel Alexander Jones
Ordinary Gesture by Raja Feather Kelly, Illya Szilak, Cyril Tsiboulski, Christoph Mateka
Haboob: The Sublime Nature of Sudanese Sandstorms by Nehal El-Hadi, Ayodamola Tanimowo Okunseinde
O-DOGG by Shariffa Ali, Brisa Areli Muñoz, Alex Alpharaoh, Sagar Patel
Guardian of the Night by Dede Ayite, Michael Joseph McQuilken, Joel ‘Kachi Benson
Exhibited works include:
On the Morning You Wake by Atlas V, Archer’s Mark, Games for Change
Iago: The Green Eyed Monster by Josh Nelson Youssef, Mary Chieffo
POV: Points of View by GRX Immersive Labs
Behind-the-Scenes Exhibition of Dazzle by Gibson/Martelli + Peut Porter