BEASTS

The EXPERIENTIAL Installation & VR EXPERIENCE by Osahon Tongo

ARTIST STATEMENT
BEASTS is an installation that tells the coming of age journey of a football player juxtaposed with the life of a
thoroughbred horse. It is a fully immersive investigation challenging the system of amateurism in college football
through slices of life narrative filmmaking, documentary filmmaking and experiential design.
The bestselling book $40 Million Slave describes some of the parallels between chattel slavery / share cropping
and professional athletics. I liken my experience in college football to that of thoroughbred horses. Kept well,
exercised regularly and fed high quality food to ensure maximum performance at the peak of our usable years. Herded
through the system with the glory of a championship and an uninspired education as a carrot to motivate.
I am a former college football player, activist and filmmaker. When lobbying for bills with NCPA many people
sympathized with the unfairness of money distribution but there was still a disconnect in the understanding of the
scope of challenges presented to the system at hand. I am creating this experience to inspire and activate change
agents.

EXHIBITION GOALS

Residencies in the top galleries across the country.

MOMA, MOCA, HAMMER, MCA Chicago, etc.
Create conversation around reforming college athletes rights by
giving people the visceral subjective experience.
Collaborate with the best artists in installation art, production
design, film and virtual reality.
Create an augmented reality piece that simulates the museum
experience to disseminate the message.

Virtual/Augmented Reality
- To extrapolate the installa0on a
virtual/augmented reality
experience will be created in
conjunc0on with the live set.

- - Collaborators and research
done at USC World Building labs.

- - Lucas Films IMLxLAB has
created amazing technology that
can help transfer the depth and
emo0on of the scenes to a
viewer with access to mo0on
capture VR glasses

INFLUENCES

They Shoot Horses Dont They Sidney Pollack (poli0cal drama with horses as a
mo0f)
Killer of Sheep Charles BurneT (nuanced lmmaking)
Museum of Football - Sao Paulo (immersive experience)
The 9/11 Exhibit NYC (immersive design. Emo0on)
Any Given Sunday Oliver Stone (griTy realism and world building)
The Program David S. Ward (college underbelly se\ng and storyline)
$40 Million Slaves Best selling book commen0ng on the guise of amateurism.

OVERVIEW

3 rooms that take the guest on a POV

immersive cinema0c journey, all senses. Light
and sound dicta0ng movement through
sensory control and gated entries.

STAGE 1 The FOAL / Recruitment

We step into the shoes of our main character, Colt. We
experience the love of the game, as the hype from the
community, the expecta9ons and the projec9ons of tomorrow
mount he gets launched into the world of college football.
Emo9ons: Innocence, Promise, Hype
Design: A horse trailer inside of a coliseum-esq tunnel. The lm is
projected on the walls of the tunnel. The guest will see the
projec0ons out the windows of the trailer. Slight movement of
the truck on wheels, the smell of hay.

STAGE 2 BREAKING IN / Locker Room

The locker room is the gateway into the life of the other characters on the
team. We explore some of the trigger point issues in college football
including workmans compensa9on, concussions, and the irony of amateur
celebrity. A complex dichotomy that builds a rhythm to a life focused on
sport. Expressing that the worth of these characters is in their bodies.
Emo9on: Mechanical, Rhythmic, Cerebral
Design: Locker room - An arched screen 5 paneled panorama. Smells like
fresh shoes from a Nike store. There is a large locker/bench that you can sit
in. On the walls you have autographs of former players etched in.

STAGE 3 The RACE / RIVERSIDE

High intensity, coaches yelling, players hitting; the beauty of
football. The horse starts the race with a gun and circles the screens.
In a twist of events the boy gets injured on a play during practice.
The coach says, Take em out back and shoot em and with a
whistle and a prayer they call to flip the play around and move on
without him. Time slows to and this pivotal moment lies the fate of
the boy and the horse. Colt is now obsolete.
Emo9on: Glory, Awe, Death
Design: 30 yards of synthe0c astro-turf. The end wall is a large screen, with
another screen on the ceiling. There is a screen in the middle of the room
and two strips on the wall. There are bags sleds that are fashioned into an
obstacle course around it. A racetrack surrounds the area.

ARTIST & Crew

Writer & Director

Osahon Tongo Writer and director focused on social change issues. Former
college football player and student athletes rights advocate and lobbyist with the
National College Players Association.
Producer:

Elena Bawiec Producer from Russia with access to horses and horse culture. USC
Graduate and early collaborator.
Sound Design

Peter Bawiec Expert Sound designer and mixer on the cutting edge of experiential
sound design and exhibition sound.
Story Development

Sean Addo Early collaborator and former college football player (Cincinnati). Also
filmmaker from USC School of Cinematic Arts.

ADVISORS
Mark Harris Writing & Producing (2 Oscars): The Long Way Home, Into The Arms
of Strangers
Richard Burton Sound - The Usual Suspects, X-Men
Michael Fink Special Effects USC Program Head Avatar, Life Of Pi, Braveheart
Candace Reckinger and Mike Patterson Installations USC Interactive Program
Joe Garlington Theme Park and Interactive Design Walt Disney Imagineer Lead
Designer

BEASTS