In Austin, United States, at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, artists this year embraced virtual reality as a way to better connect with humanity, not escape from it.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are often linked to video gaming, or the race between tech giants like Apple and Meta – but with little mass adoption.
However, for inventor Niki Smit, VR is a way for humans to express their emotions and explore their mental health, including through the usually tactile experience of art therapy.
When wearing the standard headgear, users of Smit's “Soul Paint” program can “paint” their virtual body, using colors and lines to explore and express their inner reality.
Smit demonstrated the software, saying, “When I’m stressed, I clench my teeth — so I draw this pulsating red thing near my jaws.”
He further explained, “What we’ve been making here is an invitation to dive into yourself, to explore yourself.”
In a large hall dedicated to VR, conference attendees were invited to watch films and test video games, with their faces pressed against the VR headset.
However, at Smit’s stand, users emerged looking visibly moved, having smeared their virtual stomachs in sickly green or their heads in gray, and dancing to free themselves from downbeat emotions.
“VR is not an extension of film. VR is not an extension of video games. We’re starting to find out it is a medium about your own human body,” he said.
Victor Agulhon produces VR documentaries on various topics, from top chefs to the Kennedy assassination.
“I can’t see myself working in any other medium,” he said.
“To me, it’s really this technology specifically that enables unprecedented things in terms of understanding and empathy.”
– Immersive, interactive –
“There’s an insatiable desire by humans to use storytelling to comprehend our experience in this world… and you want it to be more immersive with higher interactivity,” said Vince Kadlubek, during a panel on the future of entertainment.
Kadlubek is one of the founders of Meow Wolf, an artist collective that now specializes in giant art installations.
From video games to immersive art, a key way to win over audiences is through giving them more interaction and control, he said.
“I don’t want to just go into somebody else’s world and not have the ability to build something in it, that’s so confined,” he said, mentioning TikTok and Minecraft as examples of platforms making strides in that area.
For Voyelle Acker, too, immersion is key.
Her studio, Small Creative, develops virtual reality experiences for small groups, especially to “bring culture to audiences who are sometimes far removed in terms of education or geography.”
“Today, we can program anything we want,” she said, but “it takes human intelligence to be artistic, to find the right connections.”
Creators are in high demand. French automotive giant Valeo came to the conference, known as SXSW, to encourage them to invent the future of in-car entertainment.
Executives presented a video game for passengers that recreates the vehicle's environment in real time using sensors, cameras and radar, but for entertainment.
Geoffrey Bouquot, Valeo's Chief Technology Officer, said, 'We can envision engaging with passengers in other cars by involving them in an experience, such as sharing music.'
– 'Cosmic turtle' –
“'What abilities does the magical feather dress have?'” inquired a computer in a small cinema showing a continuous movie called “The Golden Key.”
In this project, generative artificial intelligence constantly creates images, narration, and voice, but viewers influence the outcome by responding to questions.
“The magical feather dress goes beyond time and space, made from discarded plastic found floating in the ocean, the cosmic turtle repurposed it for good in the world,” a member of the audience wrote.
The advancements showcased in Austin, Texas, arrive at a time when many artists are worried about the growing presence of content-generating AI and fear being replaced by machines.
However, Melissa Joyner, director of “Reimagined Volume III: Young Thang,” believes AI wouldn't have been able to create her VR-bound animated film, which was inspired by a Nigerian tale.
Generative AI may play a role in the process, but it 'will not give you opposing views, it's not another respected person,' she stated.
by Agence France-Presse
