Festivals are such a wonderful opportunity for unique experiences to be brought to our shores. In my voluntary work with Sydney Festival I’ve been excited each year to see what’s new and to watch the way performances and installations have been adapted to be accessible and inclusive. I’m yet to be a visitor to the Adelaide Fringe Festival but I was excited to see a wonderfully inclusive experience being offered this year.
I think we could all do with a little escapism at the moment and for those going to the Adelaide Fringe Festival this is a great opportunity for 15 minutes of fanciful fun. On the front lawns of the South Australian Museum visitors can take part in Volo: Dreams of Flight, which is part of the Adelaide Fringe. The experience is designed and produced by Studio Go Go and is a Leonardo da Vinci-inspired virtual reality (VR) swing experience. Visitors are invited to wear a VR headset as they swing. Riders are transported into an exhilarating dream experience, with four flying machines to choose from including a glider, thopter, copter and chute. Each offers a different flying sensation. .
Volo celebrates the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s creations, and is inspired by his fabulous flying contraptions, his studies of flight and his pioneering work on perspective.
This sounds absolutely out of this world with the promise that, “riders will groan in horror before squealing with delight as they pilot their swing-powered machines over cliff edges to flap over buildings, zoom along the water, spiral upwards through clouds and float back down to earth. But watch out – modern airspace is more crowded than da Vinci envisaged half a millennia ago!” The best bit, it’s accessible to wheelchair users.
Details:
Accessibility – the swing platform is 76cm x 90cm. There are fabric ties that help keep the chair in place while someone swings, for security. And if someone can’t propel themselves, it’s possible to have another person push or pull the swing.
Where & when- Volo: Dreams of Flight is a part of the 2022 Adelaide Fringe. The VR swings are located on the front lawns of the South Australian Museum until Sunday 20 March 2022. The experience lasts 15 minutes.
Cost: Full price is $10, mid-week treat is $7 (Monday-Thursday). There is a discount code for the wheelchair swing which provides wheelchair patrons with 50% off their ticket. The discount code is Allaccess.
For more information, including specific details on the different flying machines, please visit: Volo Dreams of Flight.
