This paper explores how individuals of Asian diasporic backgrounds perceive and reimagine transitioning between homes through Embosom, a multi-sensory Virtual Reality (VR) installation. The project objective is to awaken emotions, resilient stories, and memories. Insights into participants' emotional feedback are collected through a case study based on an interview questionnaire and survey. Unlike studies focusing on specific locations, this project blurs the lines between reality and the virtual realm, creating a reverie of imaginary remembered spaces. The project combines a physical sculpture with VR visuals and sound to evoke a sense of “home.” Participants, while seated on a soft sculpture, are immersed in a VR scene featuring cultural symbols and walls that shimmer with sparkling particles. Enhanced by a subtle soundtrack, the experience of Embosom, fosters a connection with their homeland. The project's methodologies, specifically phenomenology and the psychology of home, have informed its design and content. Insights from interviews and surveys indicate a reduction in anxiety and an increased sense of serenity among participants. The findings indicate that VR visuals were the most impactful element, evoking memories and instilling resilience in immigrants, thus fostering a feeling of home in their host country.

This paper discusses ethics around the creation of virtual reality experiences, through a critical examination of the allowances the medium offers to creative practitioners. It suggests that, while virtual reality was initially celebrated as “the ultimate empathy machine”, a robust argument can be made for VR’s capacity to desensitise participants.

Looking at the use of Virtual Reality for journalism, it acknowledges that the novelty of VR has exposed (particularly affluent) audiences to stories of humanitarian crisis, and explores the ethical implications of desensitisation and compassion fatigue of the audience to the subject.

Examples are given of VR for cue/exposure therapy for treatment of phobias and addiction, habituating muscle memory, HR training experiences for effectively firing workers, and drilling activities in simulated high-stress environments such as industrial safety and military applications. Military simulation VR will be explored further in the context of desensitisation and the historical development of military training from Dave Grossman’s book On Killing, arguing that its use allows for training that reduces empathy and the hesitation to kill.

Motion capture technology and immersive theater have become increasingly popular in the performing arts in recent years. However, integrating these two elements in immersive theater is still uncharted territory. Our research delves into the combination of motion capture technology and performance elements to expand the creative possibilities within immersive theater. Drawing inspiration from the classic "Beauty and the Beast" story, we focus on the interplay between appearance and inner self, with motion capture enhancing character development. Performers seamlessly transition between virtual characters and objects, creating immersive experiences in unconventional venues. This innovative approach represents a significant advancement in motion capture technology in immersive theater. Future work could involve refining motion capture technology and exploring unique viewing perspectives. Our study offers valuable insights and inspiration for creators in this evolving field.

Taiwanese hand puppet theater is a traditional craft with over a hundred years of history. This project merges Taiwanese hand puppet theater with technology, preserving its traditional quali-ties while breaking new ground. We used motion capture tech-nology for the transdisciplinary co-creation of three-dimensional animation and performance art. Taiwanese hand puppets are manipulated using the hand; the limitations of the bone frame of the hand create the unique movements of the humanoid puppets. Motion capture equipment cannot directly translate the human skeleton to the bone frame of the hand, and performers cannot physically imitate the motions of the hand. Thus, to enable motion capture equipment to manipulate a virtual Taiwanese hand puppet in real-time through a human body and make the virtual Taiwanese hand puppet move in the traditional manner, we wrote a puppetry system that converts the VRM of human skeletons to the bone frame of the hand. This system serves as reference for motion retargeting to ma-nipulate virtual puppets.

This paper explores the integration of immersive 360-degree video technology within the realm of art and design education, particularly highlighting its implementation in a college-level digital art class. Emphasizing the immersive nature of 360-degree videos projected in a cylindrical environment, the study investigates how such technologies redefine user experience by enhancing presence, engagement, and empathy. Unlike traditional videos, 360-degree videos envelop viewers in a spherical visual experience, creating a more profound connection to the content. The paper discusses the pivotal role of immersive experiences in art education, particularly in fostering a nuanced understanding of social issues and contexts. It demonstrates how such technology not only enhances the educational experience in art but also empowers creators and audiences to explore and understand complex social issues, opening new avenues for empathetic and socially conscious art creation. The experiences and outcomes of the students' projects illustrate the impact of immersive technology on both creators and audiences, suggesting a rich space for further research and development.