Lovecraft Country - Sanctum

20 min
1 episode
Sanctum was a series of exclusive virtual reality events, which transported Lovecraft Country fans into a world inspired by the show. It hosted three live events throughout the season with guest voiceover performances by Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, and Michael Kenneth Williams. Each event took place on VRChat, an application that allowed guests to talk and interact with each other in real-time within the environment.

EVENT 1 | GARDEN OF EDEN

The first event, ‘Garden of Eden’ transported guests into a virtual world that was a manifestation and celebration of cultural and artistic themes within the show. The guests navigated their way through a virtual art show, displaying the artworks of afrofuturist artists; Divine Opulence by David Alabo and SBH Rae and Falling Roses by Devan Shimoyama are existing installations which were rendered into the Sanctum, and Yung Yemi created a bespoke piece titled Ancestors’ Dream, a 3-story tall sculpture that viewers can inhabit. 

EVENT 2 | AN AMERICAN DREAM

Travelers to “An American Dream” experienced an immersive theatrical performance inspired by the words of James Baldwin, created by Lovecraft Country writer Shannon Houston, and performed by star Jurnee Smollett. 

EVENT #3 | MUSIC OF THE COSMOS

The final event was a virtual reality concert given by Janelle Monáe, eight-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter, leading film and TV actress and record producer, who will be giving fans an out-of-this-world performance as her first ever performance in virtual reality.

General informations

Director :
Rama Allen

Type :
Live Performance

Production companies :
The Mill, HBO

Crew & cast

Executive Producer :
Desi Gonzalez
Production designer :
Sally Reynolds
Digital Live Director :
Aline Ridolfi
VR Technical Director :
Kevin Young
Strategist :
Min Wei Lee

Festivals

2021