Embodiment [Self-Other] attempts a recontextualization of self by embodying the actions of the self as other[s] within the virtual space, through the act of recording and playback of virtual reality tracking data. In this way, the body becomes temporally discrete units experienced in physical relationship to oneself in a continuous feedback loop, intended to trouble past, present, and future as a linear experience. One must think not just about the now, but the previous, and how the now will be experienced in the future. Reconciliation of one’s relationship to oneself across time becomes possible.
The work takes the form of a Virtual Reality installation in physical space. A custom software program invites users to enter a virtual world devoid of distraction. Tracking information is recorded , then played back, in units or “cycles”. With each new cycle more embodiments of the self occupy the space. Eventually recordings freeze in their final positions, adding static sculpture like poses to the increasingly dense network of interaction. The feed from inside the virtual space is projection onto the user and the wall behind them. The orientation of the virtual camera and real projector are aligned, registering the virtual unto the real to generate a performance each time the application is used.
The work takes the form of a Virtual Reality installation in physical space. A custom software program invites users to enter a virtual world devoid of distraction. Tracking information is recorded , then played back, in units or “cycles”. With each new cycle more embodiments of the self occupy the space. Eventually recordings freeze in their final positions, adding static sculpture like poses to the increasingly dense network of interaction. The feed from inside the virtual space is projection onto the user and the wall behind them. The orientation of the virtual camera and real projector are aligned, registering the virtual unto the real to generate a performance each time the application is used.
