Museum partnership

Mothership: Voyage into Afrofuturism at OMCA

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Dolby has always been an active member of the communities it serves with a focus on diversity and inclusion. In support of the exhibition Mothership: Voyage into Afrofuturism at the Oakland Museum of California, Obsidian, a Dolby employee network for African Americans, and Dolby Institute collaborated with the music artist Nicole Mitchell to help create her sound installation Mothership Calling. This work is featured at the entrance to the exhibition and, together with murals created by artist Sydney Cain, tells the story of the Earthseed science fiction novels written by the preeminent African American science fiction author, Octavia Butler.

Nicole had begun this work with her former graduate student, Teerath Majumder, who was responsible for programming the composition. Using Dolby Atmos content creation tools, they were able to create an immersive soundscape based on her composition that would adapt and change over time providing a unique experience with each visit.

In the video below, hear from Nicole, Teerath, and Dolby about the creation of Mothership Calling, and visit the exhibition Mothership: Voyage into Afrofuturism at the Oakland Museum of California, on view from August 7, 2021 – February 27, 2022.

I wanted people to feel the sounds, embracing them and moving around them as if they were living entities. What I called ‘sonic events.’ To walk in the room and hear the sound moving across your body from different parts of the room — it really couldn't have been done the way I really envisioned it without the Dolby Atmos.

Nicole Mitchell, Composer

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