PETER BATHURST
Ralph Goings "Salt and Pepper", 1983
Bathurst's approach of combining virtual reality black and white film footage provides a sense of immersion that unifies the relationship between film and 3D environments.
I hold an issue with photorealism in VR environments. It's unachievable. A progression of ever-improved graphics throughout the years has left past generations amazed at the quality and 'realism' created. Future generations will look at current, groundbreaking attempts at photorealism as feeble. The issue is that the closer we get to 100% photorealism, the more attuned we learn how to tell them apart.
Photorealism is a copy of a copy of - who knows. It strives to perfectly copy the proposed source material. I find the idea of perfection to be so entirely definitively subjective that it has become a mundane word. If I describe a piece of music as 'perfect' and you disagree - then you are saying that it is imperfect. No matter what you say - you will not change the fact that I think it is perfect. This is because real perfection is absolute - yet incredibly localized to an individual. Perfection is akin to silence - universally unachievable, unwitnessable moments.
That being said, we need a link between traditional/digital/avant-garde filmmaking and newer technological possibilities such as VR and 3D game environments. As gaming becomes less of a trend/past-time/hobby and more of a universally accepted method of entertainment for a much larger demographic, there has to be a demand for unification between different forms of entertainment.
Combining these two is dependant on what you want from both - as well as either. Do you want a passive film-watching experience, like the good old days? or do you want to decide what the protagonist does? At which point does a VR film become a game? and do we need more words to describe what this new form is? Actually, as important as I think it is, I don't really want to get caught up in the semantics of what this unification should be called.
DEATH MASKS
I hadn't come across death masks prior to Bathurst's lecture. I like the idea of preserving the face of someone who has been influential in life - with the premise of preservation being out of respect and at a time that doesn't disrupt the person.
I was wondering about the relationship between VR and death masks - should virtual reality headsets be redesigned to reflect the person within them?
Death mask of Richard Parker, 1767-1797
Virtual Intelligence Mask, Vito Acconci, 1993
I came across this piece by Vito Acconci called 'Virtual Intelligence Mask'
"A conventional fencing mask is used as a support structure for electronics; the electronics are used as a contact with the world outside. On the front of the mask are three televisions: one larger television facing out, and two miniature televisions facing in. The miniature televisions, facing in, cover the eyes of the person wearing the mask; from an outsider's point of view, the person inside the mask is blindfolded by the two televisions. At one side of the mask is a small portable radio, positioned at the ear of the person wearing the mask; the radio's speaker is directed out. On top of the mask are two surveillance cameras, one on top of the other, one directed toward the front and one directed toward the rear. The cameras mechanically rotate, side to side. The person wearing the mask sees his/her environment on the two television screens in front of his/her eyes: one—screen shows what's going on in front of the person, the other shows what's going on behind. In the meantime, the larger television, and the radio, are available for use by passers-by: a passer-by can switch TV channels, a passer-by can change from one radio station to another. A passer-by can, literally, ‹dial› the person wearing the mask; a passer-by can, literally, ‹turn the person on.›"
While really liking the design at first, it seems to be on the offense - with its fencing mask being symbolic of a readiness to attack & to defend an attack. It gears towards a Robocop-esque look.
There is a possibility that this is an example of my own, indoctrinated technophobia. This is strange because I think that I do have an interest in technology, its progression, its past, and where it will take us. I don't think that it is going to take over - maybe I believe that humans will apply fail-safe mechanisms if they decide to build a fully functioning, Hollywood-styled, homicidal robot. I don't know, maybe thats just me.
Diálogo: Óculos, Lygia Clark, 1968
Lygia Clark's 'Dialogo: Oculos' (Dialogue: Glasses/Goggles/Spectacles) experiment with the use of a fashion accessory as an accessory for art. As Evie Ward writes "The artwork is the communication between the two participants which is facilitated by the accessory."
While this piece is focused on extrapersonal communication, Lygia also produced another design that courts the attention of inner perception.
Máscaras Sensoriais, Lygia Clark, 1967
Máscaras Sensoriais, a design towards sensory depravation in order to enhance the natural senses.