Deutsch’s past work for nonprofit organization WATERisLIFE includes traveling to the Omo Valley in Ethiopia with photographer Neil DaCosta to capture “The Last Family Portrait” and a controversial “Art Heist for Good.”
In its most recent campaign, the agency teamed up with m ssing p eces, Ntropic and Tactic to communicate the unseen dangers of unclean water to school children via a VR game. Conceived by Deutsch, Ntropic + Tactic developed the game, which sees children fighting monsters that emerge from a river, representative of bacteria and chemicals which make the water unsafe to drink.
A video, directed by Tucker Walsh, follows the story of Wanjai, whose family lives in a village in rural Thailand where the locals rely heavily upon the Khao Laem River. It shows how the game was introduced in her classroom. After fighting off river monsters, Wanjai and her classmates were given a straw which removes bacterial contaminants and renders the water safe for drinking.
“Working with Wanjai to tell her story and seeing her experience the VR game was truly a humbling and once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Walsh said in a statement. “The team from WATERisLIFE was amazing with community outreach and getting all the locals involved in this clean water initiative—and these are just the first building blocks of an ongoing program.”
“‘Hidden Dangers'” really shows the power VR has as a tool to both educate and inspire children’s imaginations from places all around the world,” added Deutsch CCO Dan Kelleher. “The docu-short is a beautiful piece that captures the real-life impact of WATERisLIFE’s mission. We’re honored to be part of this very important cause.”