5.3 Immersion and VR
Tracks
Track 3
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 |
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM |
Plaza P7 |
Speaker
Professor Jeong Han Kim
Seoul National University
FP: BirdMan VR: Binocular Rivalry and 4E Cognition
1:30 PM - 1:55 PMAbstract
This paper is an artistic self-criticism for my artwork entitled BirdMan VR. This work was created in 2023 as part of the BirdMan series, which I have been creating continuously since 2006. BirdMan is both an artistic experiment and a cognitive science thought experiment about a hypothetical being with a combination of human vision and bird vision. The thought experiment begins with the question of what it is like to be a bat, based on Buddhist epistemology's "five-fold (pañca skandha) and six-fold (ṣaḍ indriyāṇi)" and Thomas Nagle's "What is it like to be a bat?". A research paper on these works was published in 2015, BirdMan: Hybrid Perception.[1] This paper is an extension of that research, using the medium of VR and exploring issues of perception and consciousness from a 4E Cognition perspective, with a focus on binocular rivalry. What I want to see through the BirdMan Hybrid Perception art-science experiment is Qualia Landscapes. Qualia are controversial but important because they are deeply correlated with the individual's body and are expected to bridge the gap between body and mind. They can also be the first step towards understanding the other.
Biography
Kim, Jeong Han is an artist working on the convergence between
Cognitive Science and Media Art. He is exploring the 'Qualia
Landscapes' transversally in the micro and macro world. Kim
earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science at Seoul National University
and MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. With the
support of the Rockefeller Foundation Asian Cultural Council, he
participated in the artist residence program organized by the Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council in New York City. He was a researcher
in the Biomedical Knowledge Engineering) Lab. at Seoul
National University. He was also a Fulbright visiting scholar in
DXARTS at the University of Washington, Seattle, U.S., during
his 2014-15 sabbatical year. His artworks have been featured at the
"Infosphere" at ZKM, the Media City Seoul, Whitebox at NYC,
and other selected group exhibitions globally. Now, he is a professor
in the Department of Painting, Seoul National University.
Ms Heli Puhakka
Queensland University of Technology
FP: Virtual Reality and Creativity: Evaluating Immersive Painting Experiences and Art-based Mindfulness
1:55 PM - 2:20 PMAbstract
New affordable head-mounted displays and interactive virtual technologies provide new opportunities for researchers and practitioners to create and experience mindfulness. The use of virtual reality for art-based mindfulness practices is novel and promotes full-body, immersive experiences to improve mood, however, researchers and practitioners have a limited understanding of mindfulness and creativity in the virtual environment. This paper identifies the research gap by examining how active art-based mindfulness practices in virtual reality promote mindfulness, compared to passive methods such as viewing a virtual image to experience relaxation. Fourteen participants were interviewed in the qualitative ethnographic study. Methods included semi-structured interviews, direct observation, video-cued recall and thematic analysis, which were informed by flow, immersion and presence theories. The six main emerging themes from the participant colouring experiences included: (1) mindfulness; (2) mark-making; (3) space; (4) depth perception; (5) sense of time; and (6) agency. The data presented evidence that participants experienced mindfulness while colouring a virtual mandala and the emerging themes were intertwined with experiences of flow, immersion, and presence. The study benefits researchers and practitioners in understanding how creativity can enhance mindfulness in interactive virtual art environments.
Biography
Heli Puhakka is a Meanjin-based VR Artist, Researcher, Lecturer and Musician. Heli is a PhD candidate in the School of Creative Practice at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She has a background in virtual technologies and creative practice, with a focus on human-computer interaction, immersive audience experience and art-based mindfulness practices. Heli is a singer and guitarist for the Glycereens, a garage-rock band that frequently tours nationally in Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Design and Communication), a Master of Training and Development (Education) and a Master of Arts (Research) in Virtual Reality.
Ms L. Nicol Cabe
Phd Researcher
Flinders University
FP: Have You Ever Had a Digital Milkshake Before? Ways of Working from Software Development, Traditional Theatre, and Fringe Festivals Blend Smoothly Together in OnBoardXR 6
2:20 PM - 2:50 PMAbstract
Since 2021, OnBoardXR has been a festival platform for new short, live, theatrical performances based in a virtual reality space created in a customised fork of Mozilla Hubs. The OnBoardXR (OBXR) festival founders intentionally use the concepts of theatri-cality and live performance to engage virtual audiences using thea-tre etiquette, interpretation, and participation; simultaneously, over three years, the producers have also developed a project creation method mixing software development life cycles (SDLC) into the traditional theatrical rehearsal process. Performance creators typi-cally focus on software development in the early weeks, then tran-sition to more traditional co-present theatre tech/dress rehearsals in the week before the performances. This allows international multi-disciplinary artists to work together both asynchronously and in computer-based ‘real-time’ through recorded rehearsal and devel-opment videos, Discord messages and tags, and livestreaming. Frictions align with liveness in both co-present performance and real-time online technology – both human memory and internet connections can falter. In this article, I analyse each step in the process by comparing to traditional theatre production and SDLC; this analysis demonstrates a successful method of making online, virtual, interactive, live performances across multiple chronological formats, thus offering a formula for other artists in this space.
Biography
Cabe is a digital dramaturg and theatre-maker completing a PhD at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. Her research focuses on digital and online theatre as the form continues to evolve post-pandemic. She is also engaged in examining artificial intelligence’s potential in a performance or onstage setting with an audience. Prior to returning to school, Cabe toured fringe festivals internationally with science fiction-inspired solo performances.
Session chair
Andrew Burrell
Senior Lecturer, Visual Communication
University of Technology Sydney
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