A virtual reality experience created in less than four weeks. That’s what artist Mira Musank accomplished as part of the PHI Immersif: XR and Its Impact residency, in collaboration with PHI Studio and Agog.
The result of this creative sprint, titled Gathered Cloths: The Immersive Experience of Fashioning Textile Waste, was presented on March 27 at PHI in Montreal.
A look back at a highly successful residency event.
Immersive PHI: XR and Its Impact
Before delving more specifically into Mira Musank’s work, let’s first note that PHI Immersif “supports creators and change-makers who wish to use extended reality (XR) for the common good by offering them dedicated support, opportunities to collaborate with experts at PHI Studio, and access to its creative and technological resources.”
Mira Musank and Gathered Cloths: The Immersive Experience of Fashioning Textile Waste
This year, Mira Musank was selected as the change agent for the PHI Immersif residency. Deeply involved in the circular fashion community through Fafafoom Studio, this artist and activist advocates for sustainable development and works to combat waste.
As part of the most recent PHI Immersif residency, she was able to develop a virtual reality work inspired by her artistic practice, which focuses on the reuse of fabrics. However, before embarking on this adventure, she had no experience in developing digital experiences.
“I had to learn a lot. I had never done set design, art direction, or sound design before this residency,” Mira Musank noted as she wrapped up her residency.
Never mind! The PHI Studio team helped her turn her dream into (virtual) reality. In less than four weeks, they managed to put together a complete experience, with a beginning, an end, and closing credits. “It was a colossal task,” she recalls. “But what made it possible was the support of the PHI team.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the end of her residency, she warmly thanked everyone who helped bring her vision to life, including producer Coline Delbaere, creative director Édouard Lanctôt-Benoît, 3D artist Victor Groot, developer Aurèle Chanal, creative consultant Sylvain Dumais, and residency director Emilie Heckmann.
The Origins of Gathered Cloths
“My initial idea was to recreate the process of assembling a garment from crumpled pieces of recycled fabric,” explains Mira Musank.
This interactive activity is at the heart of the VR experience in Gathered Cloths: The Immersive Experience of Fashioning Textile Waste.
Aboard a futuristic flying ship, participants are invited by a hologram of Mira Musank to learn more about circular fashion and sustainable development.
Users are then encouraged to select virtual fabrics and place them on a mannequin to create a garment. Once this exercise is complete, the resulting virtual design is displayed alongside other garments created by previous users.
Note: All the pieces of fabric that appear in the immersive experience Gathered Cloths are faithful reproductions of authentic pieces designed by Mira Musank. In fact, the team at PHI Studio carefully digitized Mira Musank’s iconic crumpled fabrics so that they could be interacted with within the experience.
Looking Toward the Future
Although she is very satisfied with the first version of Gathered Cloths: The Immersive Experience of Fashioning Textile Waste, Mira Musank still plans to continue working on the software to fix some minor bugs and add content, such as more digitized pieces of fabric or more areas to explore.
That said, she already considers her work to be a viable and shareable experience. She hopes to showcase it in art galleries, schools, or events dedicated to fashion or virtual reality.
Finally, as one PHI Immersif residency comes to an end, preparations for the next one are already underway. In fact, interested North American artists can submit their applications for the next edition of PHI Immersif: XR and Its Impact through May 3, 2026.
Is it worth it?
“It was an extraordinary experience,” says Mira Musank. “If you don’t apply for the next PHI Immersif residency, you’re missing out!”
Photo credit: Michel Ouellet
This text was translated from the original French with the help of DeepL.