Introduction
People have always longed to explore new dimensions, new realities, and new worlds that initially were not available to them. Most of today’s forms of entertainment aim directly or indirectly toward allowing people to “immerse” in this world of the impossible.
Being unable to realize and fulfill particular expectations or dreams, people go into virtuality, where they either aspire to positive emotions, or endlessly and repeatedly try to retrieve unfinished emotional feelings. In that sense, a sort of virtuality can be considered video games, films, and even books. Definitely, when referring to such terms as virtual reality and immersion, the books can be related only indirectly, unless interactive novels are considered. However, the approaches which are directly related to the attempts made to close the gap between the virtuality and reality, do also exist, moreover developments in that direction has started several decades ago.
This paper analyzes two works whose creators could be considered pioneers in the field of human-computer interaction in the context of physical environments. “VideoPlace”, by Myron Kreuger, and “Very Nervous System”, by David Rokeby are two interactive artworks that use computers as tools to enable people to interact with virtuality. This paper provides an analysis of the aforementioned works in the context of the established trends in the field of virtual reality development.
Overview
In reviewing the main concepts of virtual reality, several aspects should be distinguished and defined. Virtual reality or virtual environment – a word combination, that was repeated in the last several years and became somewhat familiar to the ordinary people. However, it is rarely that beyond this term, the scale of implementing this technology is understood.
Historically virtual reality could be considered as a certain summary of the development of the system of interactivity “human-machine”, which has become possible due to the evolution of the technology, computers productivity, 3-d visualization, feedback systems and etc. Thus, virtual reality can be considered as a model environment, created with computers, which realistically react to the user’s interaction.
In analyzing the aforementioned definition, the question of interactivity arises, where modern computer games and virtual simulators have achieved the level where they already fall under the definition of the virtual reality. Then, the difference is in the way of interaction, or in other words, the interface through which this interaction is achieved. As Manovich states that through the human-computer interface there is interaction by default, this implies the usage of the term immersion, which can be described as the “enclosure of the observer within an image space to elicit a greater or lesser feeling of immersion and separation from the outside world.” (Oliver, Immersion and Interaction)
In that sense, another feature should be outlined which is the employment of several senses at the same time, rather than vision, or hearing separately through controlling mediums with limited freedom as in modern video games. Based on the previous statement it could be understood why video games that offer more choices of freedom are the most popular, as the actions are not scripted and to certain degree are dependable on the user.
VideoPlace
In the seventies of the last century Myron Kreuger conducted experiments directed toward the disclosure of the esthetic and the communicative potential of the computer technology. In his work “VideoPlace”, the motions of the user were scanned by video cameras in real-time, and the silhouette of the user was projected on the screen. The user, for example, could draw with his fingers in the air and see the results on the screen. Besides, the system could be used as a medium in the interaction of several users on the two dimensional world on the monitor. The main advantage that could be noticed in his artworks, that the hardware did not hold back the motions of the user, making the reaction based only on the analysis of the video images.
Observing “Videoplace” as an early attempt of humanization of the human-machine relation, the total immersion was not achieved completely, as the freedom was limited by staying all the time in the camera’s field of view. The system of control also changed, the immediate reaction of the motions, with simultaneous viewing from outside, creates a feel of split, between the user and image forming a sort of alter ego which is in total control of the events.
The user feels like a creator, where the forms of images projected are only limited to his imagination. If paralleling with the world of video games, the protagonist in that projected art work is the most close to the vision that the user could be associated with.
Going back to the theme of the senses that participate in the action, it could be seen that there was more than one sense, where the user is not limited only to fingers in controlling his virtual body; on the contrary the whole body is participating where the virtual reflection acts as an extension of the real part.
In the current generation of entertainment, where video games play a major role, achieving incomes that surpass films and books, the seed planted with the experimentations of Krueger are directly connected with the direction of immersion that is being developed. Such entertainment equipments as “Eye Toy”, a camera used to control gaming process through motions could be seen as an inspiration of Videoplace.
Very Nervous System
David Rokeby is definitely unordinary personality, in a sense where at the times where every beginning composer artfully deals with keys on the keyboard, he showed his refusal to allow computers have total control over the world of music.
His created project “Very Nervous System” represents a tool that transforms human motions to video as a digital signal, which subsequently through computer starts to control the sound.
As a result, the dance closely flows combining the melody and the actions. The music of the dance is flowing, and adjusting according to the user, who can perform inflammatory rumba or ceremonial waltz. Clarinets and drums follow the movement of the body, slowing and pacing exactly at the right moment. David Rokeby succeeded in developing a unique system that combines a dancer, a choreographer, a composer, a director and an operator in one person, who creates while the computer acts as an intermediary.
Similar to the work of Krueger, the interface is identical while the result differs and the perception is achieved with different means.
If rephrasing the sound and the music in this system as “movement”, then according to Manovich, Rokeby also created an immersive environment where it is “a relationship between the body of the user and the viewer when the user must move in a physical space to experience movement in virtual space”(109) Instead of the movement the user witness music that is controlled by his actions in “physical space”. The user is the creator, and unlike the work of Krueger, the split between the body and the projected image is not as obvious, with the sounds being split from the image.
These experiments have also established new steps that are changing the pace of virtual reality and entertainment in modern technology. As an example, one of the forms of entertainment using the gaming console “Wii” requires the user to move a remote-shaped controller as if playing musical instrument to get corresponding music. This implies that the current trend are reshaping the concepts of experiencing virtuality, although it can be seen that the works of pioneers in that field such as Krueger and Rokeby made a decent push in that direction. Additionally, it can be seen that both of the works imply the deliverance of pre-set patterns, putting freedom and improvisation on the top of their priorities. Although this freedom can be limited with the space, technological limits, or initially built in possibilities, it took the experience of Immersive realities to another level, opening the door to a whole new world of impressions.
Works Cited
- Grau, Oliver. “Immersion and Interaction From circular frescoes to interactive image spaces” Overview of Media Art. Media Art Net.Web.
- Rokeby, David. ‘Transforming Mirrors: Subjectivity and Control in Interactive Media.’ In Critical Issues in Electronic Media. Edited by Simon Penny. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.
- Myron W. Krueger, ‘Videoplace and the Interface of the future’ in The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design, op. cit., Myron W. Krueger, Artificial Reality II (Reading, Mass.: Addison- Wesley,1991.