The Making of Fried Rice

The Making of Fried Rice is a VR gaming simulacrum by Barcode People that invites participants into a one-on-one encounter with the metaphysical and ontological dimensions of fried rice. Through the hyperabsurd gathering and frying of uncanny “ingredients”, touch becomes ritualised ping, ingredients become fragmented truths — constructing a hypnagogic meditation on identity, value, emotion, and ideology. Endlessly adaptable and assembled from fragments, fried rice becomes a metaphor for being, identity, and collective life. By inviting audiences into an interactive VR encounter, the work opens a space for experimentation — where each participant constructs their own version of fried rice. Through play, we are prompted to pause, reflect, and reconsider how culture emerges — and why its intricacies matter. This simulacrum unfolds as a continuous VR theatre of gestures and interactions, shaped by participants, creators, and the dynamic space between them.