ISEA 2009 presentation

15th International Symposium on Electronic Art
Belfast, Ireland

Physical Virtuality platform - bringing real and virtual together, physically

“DIMENSIONAL MOBILITY”
August 28th 14:00h - Waterfront venue - Main Hall

Since its existence, art has always exploring every thinkable dimension. Having its origin in 2D, as flat surface painting, it moved towards 3D with sculpture and performance, explored the 2D plane further with video and it even got into a non-dimension with certain highly conceptual art pieces.

Being confronted with new (digital) tools and phenomena, artists are currently actively exploring the multi dimensional opportunities and hybrid-dimensional forms. Working in virtual reality, making virtual art and being a virtual artist, it’s a common practice in VR world such as Second Life where the art world is thriving with new artworks ‘not possible in real life’. Ranging from huge gravity ignoring participatory installations to minimalistic work reflecting on the medium itself. Anything is possible…. Or isn’t it?

In a quest to conceptualise an artwork ‘not possible in virtual life’, the new media artist Sander Veenhof (1973) from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has been studying the fundamental characteristics and limitations of virtual worlds to find out if such an artwork could possible be created. He so far carried out numerous experiments to answer one of the basic relevant question: to what extent does the virtual world actually differs from our physicial world? The difference in dimenional aspect is obvious. Avatars live in a 3D world represented on 2D screens. But we are more and more living our day-to-day 3D lifes on screens too. Video-conferincing with ‘2D’ partners, seeing ourselves GPS-tracked on 2D maps.

To study whether the gap between the real and the virtual dimension is unbridgable, Veenhof carried out a series of experiments attempting to bridge that gap to find out about its possibly unbridgable nature. Experiments involving a connection of both of these worlds. Litteraly, conceptually, by mixing different dimensions or crossing the virtual/real boundary. His projects could be described ad mobility through dimensions. As is best explained by the “Second Life visits The Hague” project: a mapping of a virtual world onto the Google streetmap of the city of The Hague, thereby putting both world in one shared dimension. (http://www.sndrv.nl/tag/ )
Other relevant studies include:

“SL Walkie Talkie Walks” - Hooking up New York residents to virtual world counterparts on a simultaneous walking tour through Brooklyn and Second Life:
http://www.sndrv.nl/slwalkietalkie/

“Physical Virtuality” - Giving avatar residents of a virtual world true physical weight, enabling ‘physical’ encounters between them and real people:
http://sndrv.nl/physicalvirtuality/

In his talk, Veenhof will address the issues he came across moving on the borderline between these connected worlds, a reflection on progress so far and an explanation on conclusions to be drawn.