Abstract
WonderForest: VR Immersive Interactive Art Installation
“WonderForest” is an immersive VR interactive piece asking the question of “what is real?”. If life is composed of a pile of sensory experiences, should VR be included in this game of life? And can “VR” experiences expand and break the stereotypical idea of “real” and “nature”? This conceptual exploration was inspired by French Philosopher, Gilles Deleuze’s statement that “the virtual is opposed to actual but not real" in his publication “Bergsonism”. Hence, the virtual experience should also deliver real senses and even an extended version of reality.
In “WonderForest”, it provides an immersive digitalized visual/audio environment as a new Nature. Just like walking in a forest, the audiences can sense the nature atmosphere but with totally different environmental elements. By creating meshes of waves as landscape, free-floating cubes and flying dots as living species, noise mixing with birds singing as ambient sounds, the project challenges the general stereotypical notion of Nature. It is also to convince the audiences' that what they've experienced in the VR environment should be considered as “real”. For example, who can be certain about the space multiple lightyears away would be the same physical materialization as we have here and not like in the “WonderForest”? Besides, no matter if it is virtual or real, they will all imprint in our body/mind as real senses and memories once you experienced them, just like seeing movies or playing video games or even dreaming. And that is what “WonderForest” attempt to deliver.
Speaking about the actual play in “WonderForest”, the audiences can hit the floating cubes, attract the swarm of dots, producing colorful rain, making flashy lights, which are not possible in the so-called “real” world. And that is what makes the VR experience fun, interesting, and can be possibly become the extension/escape of reality.
Currents New Media is an annual art + technology festival, year-round exhibition/experience space, and non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. We support 21st Century art making and innovative creatives.
Exhibited at Currents New Media 2023, 16-25 June 2023
“WonderForest” is an immersive VR interactive piece asking the question of “what is real?”. If life is composed of a pile of sensory experiences, should VR be included in this game of life? And can “VR” experiences expand and break the stereotypical idea of “real” and “nature”? This conceptual exploration was inspired by French Philosopher, Gilles Deleuze’s statement that “the virtual is opposed to actual but not real" in his publication “Bergsonism”. Hence, the virtual experience should also deliver real senses and even an extended version of reality.
In “WonderForest”, it provides an immersive digitalized visual/audio environment as a new Nature. Just like walking in a forest, the audiences can sense the nature atmosphere but with totally different environmental elements. By creating meshes of waves as landscape, free-floating cubes and flying dots as living species, noise mixing with birds singing as ambient sounds, the project challenges the general stereotypical notion of Nature. It is also to convince the audiences' that what they've experienced in the VR environment should be considered as “real”. For example, who can be certain about the space multiple lightyears away would be the same physical materialization as we have here and not like in the “WonderForest”? Besides, no matter if it is virtual or real, they will all imprint in our body/mind as real senses and memories once you experienced them, just like seeing movies or playing video games or even dreaming. And that is what “WonderForest” attempt to deliver.
Speaking about the actual play in “WonderForest”, the audiences can hit the floating cubes, attract the swarm of dots, producing colorful rain, making flashy lights, which are not possible in the so-called “real” world. And that is what makes the VR experience fun, interesting, and can be possibly become the extension/escape of reality.
Currents New Media is an annual art + technology festival, year-round exhibition/experience space, and non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. We support 21st Century art making and innovative creatives.
Exhibited at Currents New Media 2023, 16-25 June 2023
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2023 |
| Event | Currents 2023 - Santa Fe, United States Duration: 16 Jun 2023 → 25 Jun 2023 https://currentsnewmedia.org/festivals/currents-new-media-2023/ |
Keywords
- immersive VR experience
- VR
- interaction
- Swarm Behavior
- digital nature
