Artist’s paralyzing illness inspires Saudi Film Festival VR ode to nature

DHAHRAN: A Bangladeshi Dutch artist struck down by a neurological disorder has harnessed her love of nature to wow Saudi Film Festival audiences.

Naima Karim’s “The Anticipation of Rain” is a virtual reality experience that has captivated viewers with its ode to nature’s beauty and strength.

Karim was in the final year of studies when her life took an unexpected turn.

She said: “I was completely paralyzed because of a neurological disorder in 1999. It took a long time to recover. I spent most of my time in bed. During those days, I observed how beautiful nature was around me and was motivated to get better and to walk again.

“I dreamt every day of running across a grass field, and the beautiful sky above me was limitless. That was the most inspiring thing for me when I started to paint again in 2015, after a long break.”

In 2013, Karim and her family moved to Saudi Arabia where she began showcasing her artworks.

“I had my first solo exhibition at Dhahran Art Gallery in 2016. Since then, I have tried different mediums like watercolor, acrylic, oil, and more.

“The VR experience came to mind only when I wanted to create something beyond my canvases. I wanted my audience to immerse fully in monsoon rain,” she added.

“The Anticipation of Rain” is Karim’s first multi-sensory VR project, and despite having no prior technical background, after pitching her idea to the Creative Solutions program, she was enrolled onto master classes.

She said: “I created the 3-D environment using Open Brush, a VR tool, and painted it in the same style that I paint on canvas. I wanted to keep my same artistic style even in the 3-D world, which is long brushstrokes. These long brushstrokes are also a celebration of a movement that I used to miss because of my paralysis.”

Growing up in Bangladesh, she has childhood memories of monsoons that she described as theatrical and exciting.

“My VR experience is about three things: The monsoon rain that inspires me a lot, my personal story of recovering from paralysis that made me a positive person, and to inspire my viewers to see the beauty around us and take care of our one world,” Karim added.

During the film festival VR experience at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), viewers are given two pieces of scented paper to replicate the smell of rain — a special touch to fully immerse the senses.

She said: “I wanted my viewers to experience a storm that was scary but exciting and beautiful to me. It also gets very humid before it starts to rain, and when it rains, the smell changes, mixing the rainwater and the soil.

“That’s why I created the scents of humidity and rain with a perfumer, which will immerse my audience even more in the monsoon rain.”

Her “The Anticipation of Rain” experience has been nominated for the VR social impact award by AIXR, and the Crystal Owl Awards by Stereopsia Europe. It was also presented at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the world’s largest of its kind.

“‘The Anticipation of Rain’ was born at Ithra and was first demoed at the plaza in Ithra. After that, it was showcased at several festivals worldwide.

“It is now part of the Saudi Film Festival as Creative Solutions program submitted it and it was selected to be a part of the VR experiences at the festival,” Karim added.

She is currently working on her second VR project.

Manager of the VR experience at Ithra, Mohammed Almadani, said: “It feels like I’m on an isolated island, surrounded by nature, enjoying myself and absorbing the beauty. With the scents it feels so real, if there was just actual rain, you would feel like it’s real life.

“I really recommend everyone to try it, because its different than other VRs. It’s interactive and it takes you to a different level.”

Karim said: “‘The Anticipation of Rain’ is to inspire my audience to be hopeful. When we really want something that we love, I believe hope is something that takes us forward and makes us stronger.”