“Computer assisted reality” has a sinister flavour to it. Why would anyone tweak or attempt to assist our perception of real? Since ancient times, direct unobstructed and objective access to reality was a key preoccupation of science and philosophy, nowadays however we are plunged into an an increasingly deeper and faster stream of virtual qua real, ranging from innocent pranks to outlandish simulacra and malignant fakeries.
As an artistic tool “new real” is undoubtedly and potently political, therefore it is very important to have a balanced and thorough understanding of this instrument. In this course, we will learn the history, principles and workflows of computer-generated virtual reality phenomena. We will also focus on a broader impact on contemporary society of semi-virtual environments which are streamed through a wide range of electronic media and do not involve a full 360° immersion, however offer a narratively rich and fully engaging experience. Additionally we will explore virtual and digital realms as extended acts of synthetic memory, and learn the effective strategies in producing viable virtual environments while creatively applying methodology and metaphoric tool-set used in humanities and natural sciences.
While theoretically working out the fundamentals of virtual reality, we will practically create short proposals of the possible virtual reality situations, aiming at concrete real-life situations from art objects to stress or pain alleviating, training and also educational environments.
Previous knowledge of 3D software is useful, but not required. |
